Kenya Airport Authority to auction off more than 70 junk and abandoned planes

Fed up with having dozens of abandoned aircraft just lying around, one African nation is putting together an auction to get rid of its aviation junk.

The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has announced it is flogging off 73 planes which are sitting around taking up valuable space at a variety of airports across the country.

There are a host of different aircraft up for sale including a Boeing 707-300, a few 737-200s, a Lockheed Hercules L-100-30, a couple of Somali Air Force Antonov An-24 and dozens of smaller planes. You can see a full list at ch-aviation.

KAA reportedly contacted all the registered owners of the aircraft, warning that if they planes were not claimed they would be auctioned off. With 73 planes set to be sold, it seems many owners were unwilling or unable to retrieve their aircraft.

What stands out are the prices, with many costing less than a third-hand Mazda 6, although, of course, there are some caveats.

For example the Boeing 707-300 starts at $US2497 ($3405). A bargain perhaps, but it does have some significant wear and tear. Aviation site Simple Flying notes this aircraft "sustained substantial damage to its undercarriage when landing in Mombasa" in 2009 and hasn't flown since.

One of the 737-200s on offer has been owned by a host of exotic airlines over its 35 years of service including Somalia's Jubba Airways, Kam Air (Afghanistan) and Tajikistan's East Air.

Another essential part of the small print, which will add some very significant dollars, is that auction winners have seven days from the date of the auction to claim and remove their aircraft. If they don't, KAA imposes a storage charge of $120 per day. If you haven't collected your plane within two weeks, it will be forfeited.