Abandoned Boeing at Hanoi airport to be used as training aircraft

The decision was signed by the construction minister, who ordered the aircraft transferred to the Vietnam Aviation Academy for training use.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has been tasked with organizing the handover in line with regulations on managing state assets.

After 18 years, aircraft’s status resolved

The Boeing 727-200, registration XU-RKJ, belonged to Cambodia’s Royal Khmer Airlines. 

It was left at Noi Bai International Airport on May 1, 2007 after technical problems grounded the aircraft.

On November 11, 2014, Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation said Royal Khmer Airlines’ operating license had been revoked and the aircraft removed from the country’s registry effective October 13, 2008.

Cambodian authorities also said Vietnam could deal with the aircraft under its domestic laws.

In June 2015, a technical assessment by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam found that the aircraft, built in 1975, had deteriorated beyond restoration. 

Boeing also said the plane had no commercial value.

State ownership of the aircraft was established in January 2017, but attempts to auction it failed.

The aircraft was considered a highly specialized asset with no precedent for auction transactions either in Vietnam or internationally, and its appraised value was lower than the expected cost of organizing an auction.

Plan shifts from auction to training use

In early August 2025, the Ministry of Construction proposed that Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha approve transferring the aircraft to the Vietnam Aviation Academy instead of continuing with the auction process.

In October 2025, the Government Office said Deputy Prime Minister Ha had approved the plan after reviewing proposals from the Ministry of Construction and comments from the finance and justice ministries. 

The construction ministry was tasked with coordinating the transfer with the Ministry of Finance.

Under the decision, the Vietnam Aviation Academy will manage the aircraft as a state asset and maintain the required records and reporting.