Sat Idle For 20 Years At El Paso Airport

A non-airworthy Boeing 727 airliner built in 1966 that sat in the open at El Paso International Airport (KELP) was sold by the city at auction for $10,000. The city had listed the aircraft on the govdeals website, describing it as “in derelict condition” and needing repairs that exceeded its value.

The aircraft had been mostly gutted and parked, exposed to the sun and weather since the early 2000s. It sold for the $10,000 auction price including taxes and auction fees. The buyer bid $20 over the next highest bid and has until January 27 to remove the airplane or make arrangements with the airport.

With the airplane getting a chance at a new life, airport Director Tony Nevarez said, “I’m kind of excited to see what the new owner does with it.” He said the aircraft was purchased locally but did not know who bought it. He said the city won’t know the buyer’s identity until the closing of the transaction and the new owner makes arrangements to move the aircraft.

Knowing that other airplanes have been transformed into homes, bars, and even airbnbs, Nevarez said he is hopeful that this one will be put to a similar use.

Records show the aircraft was registered to Blue Falcon Corporation and its president was David Paul Tokoph, the first person to fly from Russia to El Paso in 2009 when he piloted a Gulfstream on a nonstop flight. Sadly, he was fatally injured when the vintage Navy aircraft he was flying crashed near Las Cruces, New Mexico in 2015.

FMI:  www.elpasointernationalairport.com/