The Ministry of Agriculture has closed the sale of three CASA C212-400 fisheries surveillance aircraft that had been gathering dust since 2019. The buyer, Texas Turbine Conversions, paid 2.9 million euros for the three aircraft, which are in a poor state of preservation. The government's original plan was to repair them for 11.7 million, but the project was never executed. Now, the US company will refurbish them with new avionics and propellers so they can fly again in the United States.
A repair project that never got off the ground ✈️
The three CASA C212-400s, designed for maritime patrol, became inactive after mechanical and corrosion issues were detected. The Ministry budgeted a comprehensive rehabilitation for 11.7 million euros, which included engine replacement, navigation system upgrades, and structural review. However, the plan did not succeed due to a lack of agreement with workshops or budget cuts. The final solution was to sell them at a price that barely covers 25% of what it would have cost to bring them up to date. Texas Turbine Conversions will disassemble them, install modern avionics and next-generation propellers to return them to active service in the United States.
The sweet deal of buying flying scrap 💰
The Spanish government spent millions maintaining these aircraft for years, then decided repairing them was too expensive, and finally sold them for the price of a three-bedroom apartment. The US company gets three aircraft that, according to technicians, need love, parts, and a miracle to take off. Meanwhile, Spanish fishermen will continue to be monitored from satellites or, who knows, perhaps from rented drones. At least the C212s will have a second life in Texas, where they will surely miss the smell of Mediterranean sea salt.