It’s easy to lose your keys, but try to picture losing a plane with 200 people on it. This is the strange mystery of a Boeing 737 that has been left in the middle of a field in Bali. No one knows how it got there to this day.
At Ngurah Rai International Airport, the most well-known plane in Bali isn’t a sleek Airbus. Instead, it’s a Boeing 737-200 that has been left in a field near Pandawa Beach. Many people have tried to figure out how and why the Boeing got there. But why has Bali become a hotspot where planes are often abandoned is still a mystery.
It was discovered in a limestone quarry close to the Raya Nusa Dua Selatan Highway. It is only a short drive from the popular Pandawa beach. As is often the case with strange things that can’t be explained, many ideas have been put forward about how the plane got there.
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Most people in the area think that a wealthy businessman put the Boeing there in the first place. The story goes that he wanted to turn it into a restaurant but didn’t have enough money to finish, so he just left the plane in the field. But, as was said, authorities have never confirmed this.
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ATDB.aero says that the Boeing 737-200 was made in October 1982. Arkia Israeli Airlines put it into service in March of the next year. By the end of the year, Dan-Air London also used it. After almost a decade of flying for the British airline as G-BLDE, the twinjet left the company in November 1992. This is when British Airways bought Dan-Air and added it to its operations at Gatwick.
The plane was given to Mandala Airlines as PK-RII in March 1993. This low-cost airline in Indonesia was based in Jakarta. In 2011, it changed its name to Tigerair Mandala. Three years later, in 2014, the airline stopped running because its owners stopped giving it money. PK-RII had already departed by this time.
ATDB says that the 737-200 in question stopped flying for Mandala Airlines in November 2007, but this is unclear. On the other hand, ch-aviation.com says that this happened in February 2008. In any case, the well-traveled plane didn’t end up where it is now until a few years later.
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As the world’s leading aerospace company, Boeing designs, builds, and services commercial airplanes, defense products, and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As one of the top exporters in the U.S., the company uses the skills of a global supplier base to improve economic opportunity, environmental impact, and community impact. The diverse team at Boeing is dedicated to coming up with new ideas for the future, being a leader in sustainability, and building a culture around the company’s core values of safety, quality, and honesty.
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Boeing has a long history of being a leader and innovator in the aerospace industry. The company keeps adding new products and services to meet the needs of its customers. It can make new, more efficient members of its family of commercial airplanes, design, build, and integrate military platforms and defense systems, develop advanced technology solutions, and find new ways for customers to pay for and use its products.
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Many urban explorers have flocked to the old abandoned aircraft over the years because they wanted to see something different on their trips. Unfortunately, it is fenced off and can only be seen from a viewpoint.
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Tony Dunnell of Atlas Obscura gave some directions for people who want to see the first Boeing. He said it’s “easy enough to reach” as long as you can “spot it from the road.”
He told them: “The view of the plane is obstructed from the highway, so you need to keep your eyes open, or you could easily miss it. When you come across a wall of sea containers on the side of the road, you are have arrived. You can see the plane by climbing up onto the containers that surround it. Or, for a better view, head slightly further down the road, where you’ll find a path that leads up above the plane. You’ll have to pay a small fee to enter, as the plane is on private property.”
But, strangely enough, there is another Boeing 737 that got stuck in Bali, and this one can be seen. The aircraft is next to a Dunkin’ Donuts, and people say it’s been there since 2007. There were also similar rumors stating that it was going to become a restaurant at one point.
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This second abandoned plane was used as a place for events in 2018 and is still there for people to explore. Those wishing to explore the mysterious abandoned plane can do so to their heart’s content with this second one.
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If the two planes left behind aren’t enough for you, the fuselage of an old British Caledonian Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is parked on the roof of the Gate 88 Mall just north of Kuta. The mall never opened, but there are rumors that security will let people in if they ask nicely and pay them enough.
If you are really interested, you can also find an abandoned Boeing 737-200 in a field in Jembrana, West Bali. Tourists can get close to the plane while it is locked up by climbing onto its wings. Unfortunately, residential development now threatens the field, so it is uncertain how long the aircraft will remain there. However, Bali isn’t the only place in Asia where there are old planes that have been left behind.
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