Four retired passenger aircraft — an Airbus A321, A320, A319 and a Boeing 737-700 — will be auctioned as a package on September 8, 2026 on Alibaba's judicial auction platform. Photo: Screenshot from the platform

Four retired passenger planes — an Airbus A321, an A320, an A319 and a Boeing 737-700 — will be auctioned as a package on Tuesday in China with a starting price of 4 million yuan, the Global Times learned on Alibaba's judicial auction platform. 

A staff member from the auction company told the Global Times on Monday that all four planes are retired aircraft from Chinese airlines and could be converted into creative cafés, internet-hooked restaurants and similar venues.

Auction information showed that the aircraft up for sale are currently located in Chongqing city. The four planes are being sold as a package, with a starting price of 4 million yuan, with a deposit of 200,000 yuan and a minimum bid increment of 1,000 yuan. 

"The four aircraft are all retired passenger planes from Chinese airlines. They are more than 10 years old, with complete documentation. The purpose of the auction is to enable their reuse. Once sold, the planes can be adapted for various cultural and tourism uses —such as creative cafés and restaurants — or used by aviation schools for simulation training," Manager Tang from the Guangxi company handling the auction told the Global Times on Monday.

"So far, a number of interested parties have already called in for more information," Tang added. 

The auction will run from 10:00 am on Tuesday to 10:00 am on Wednesday. As of press time, the auction has drawn 29,226 views.

The detailed description of the lots noted that the planes do not include landing gear, radomes, cockpit instrument panels or avionics. The Global Times noticed that in the photos of the lots, the cabin interiors of the four retired aircraft have seats and other fittings, but the wings of all the planes have been removed.

"The wings have been properly stored; they will later be auctioned together with the fuselage as a complete package," Tang said.

The auction announcement noted that costs for dismantling, transportation, refurbishment and parking fees are excluded. "The planes will be delivered as-is. The final transaction price does not include tax," said the announcement.

Tang told the Global Times that the auction company does not provide transportation services, and the process should be handled by professionals. 

"The aircraft are currently in Chongqing. If they need to be moved elsewhere, they must be dismantled. Reassembly will take place after they reach the destination," Tang said, adding that the transport route should be reported in advance.

Civil airliners are retired once they reach flight hours, take-off and landing cycles, or years in service.

Aircraft in relatively good condition can be "reassigned" and continue flying. Many passenger jets undergo major overhauls and are converted into freighters.

Those considered no longer airworthy embark on a "recycling journey." According to media reports, roughly 90 percent of an aircraft's parts and materials can be recovered and reused. Apart from the highly valuable engines, components such as instrument panels, emergency slides, wheels, brakes, landing gear and avionics can re-enter the secondary aircraft-parts market if they meet strict technical standards.

In addition, some planes will enter into aviation museums, or be transformed into restaurants or theme-park attractions.