Aviation aficionados now have a chance to add a part of the last Airbus A310 that flew in commercial passenger service for a European airline to their collection.
Aviationtag
launched sales of their latest product today. Blue, white, and mixed tags were created from the skin of MSN 651, an Airbus A310 delivered to Air Afrique in 1992.
At Simple Flying, we love everything aviation. When the chance to own some artifacts from an aircraft pops up, we struggle to say no. In fact, I personally have a piece of a Thai Airways Boeing 747 on my keys.
Photo: Aviationtag
Europe’s last Airbus A310
Aviationtag’s latest product comes from the Airbus A310 with the manufacturer’s serial number 651. According to fleet data from aviation experts Cirium, this aircraft was delivered to Air Afrique in 1992, and operated by the pan-African airline until 1998 with the registration TU-TAD.
After a couple of years parked at Chataeuroux in France (
where British Airways first stored its Airbus A380s during the COVID-19 pandemic
), the aircraft was leased by
Azores Airlines
in February 2000. At this point, the registration was changed to CS-TGV. In 2009, Azores bought the aircraft from the lessor, Kinsale Aviation Limited, and operated it until late 2018. It did a brief wet lease stint for Tunisair in August 2012
Photo: Aviationtag
In 2023, we discovered this special aircraft in the Mojave Desert and secured the most beautiful parts of the CS-TGV to upcycle them into our latest Aviationtag edition. Get this unique collector’s item now, which not only carries the history of the Airbus A310, but also the legacy of the last A310 in European scheduled service.
According to aeroTELEGRAPH, the aircraft completed its final flight for Azores Airlines on October 15th, 2018, which involved a flypast of the Ponta Delgada Airport. After this, the aircraft was ferried to the Mojave Air and Space Port in California on December 15th, 2018. The airline replaced the Airbus A310s with A321neos, which it continues to fly today.
Own part of the aircraft
Thanks to Aviationtag, a well-known company specializing in upcycling aircraft skin, it is now possible to own a part of this historic aircraft. At 10 CEST this morning, the company began selling a limited edition run of 7,500 key tags created from the skin of MSN 651.
There is a selection of offer tags. While some are all white and some are all blue, there is also a selection of tags that feature both colors. While tags are priced from €29.95 ($33.12), the tags with multiple colors typically retail for higher, given their increased rarity. The tags are now available to purchase from the Aviationtag website.
Are Airbus A310s still flying?
It is still possible to fly on an Airbus A310, though possible does not mean easy. According to Cirium’s schedule data, Iran Airtour Airline is the only airline offering Airbus A310 flights in September. The airline has flights scheduled across plenty of routes, including to the likes of
Dubai International Airport (DXB)
and
Istanbul Airport (IST)
. The airline’s A310 flight schedule currently runs through August 2025. According to the latest schedule data, no other operators plan to fly the A310 in scheduled passenger service.