Off the wire
• Argentine forward Lavezzi joins Chinese Super League club  • State Council calls for better handling of proposals, suggestions  • Canadian province tightens rules for foreign buyers in hot real estate market  • Albania changes finance minister  • Britain's defense chief calls for better relationship with Argentina  • China raises deposit rate for housing provident fund  • News Analysis: Aviation giants confident in Chinese market's growth potential  • France's National Assembly renews state of emergency for 3 more months  • Weather forecast for world cities -- Feb. 17  • Weather forecast for major Chinese cities, regions -- Feb. 17  
You are here: 　 Home

Albania postpones auction of old military airplanes due to high demand

Xinhua, February 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Albanian Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that an auction for old military planes and helicopters will be postponed due to a huge demand from potential buyers.

The ministry had announced early this month the selling of 36 old airplanes and 4 helicopters that have been out of service at an auction on Feb. 22.

The historic value of these airplanes, some made in the 1950s, has gained the attention of museums and private collectors from countries including France, Germany and the United States, media reports said.

The ministry, which expects to profit around 450,000 euros (about 500,000 U.S. dollars), said that the planes will bring in revenue that will only be used for modernizing the army.

Some of the military's old airplanes were sold for scrap, some are kept at the military airfield near the Rinas Airport, and the rest are at the Gjader Air Base and Kucova Air Base. The government says the planes have become a burden. Endi