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Aircraft Profile

D-AXGA

Airbus A330-203

Operator

EVA Air, Eurowings (operated by SunExpress Germany / SunExpress Deutschland)

Aircraft History

Carrying manufacturer serial number 530, this Airbus A330-203 made its maiden test flight in Toulouse in June 2003 before being delivered brand new to Taiwanese carrier EVA Air as B-16301. Equipped with General Electric CF6-80E1 powerplants, the widebody served as a core member of EVA Air's medium-to-long-range fleet for over a decade, connecting Taipei with regional hubs across East Asia and international destinations until it was phased out in early 2015.

In September 2015, the aircraft found a new lease on life as the Lufthansa Group sought to expand Eurowings into budget long-haul operations. Registered as D-AXGA, the jet was reconfigured into a 310-seat leisure cabin layout and operated technically by SunExpress Germany on behalf of Eurowings. Shortly after entering service in mid-October 2015, the airframe drew aviation headlines when an engine access door separated upon departure from Cologne/Bonn on a familiarization flight to Palma de Mallorca, landing safely without injury. It soon became an integral part of the transatlantic rollout, inaugurating leisure routes across the Caribbean and North America, and sporting distinctive promotional decals for destinations such as Cuba.

Following five years of European holidaymaker service, the airframe's flying days came to an abrupt end with the collapse of international travel and the liquidation of SunExpress Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. D-AXGA was permanently withdrawn from service and placed into storage. Left without an operator, the widebody was eventually parted out and scrapped, with pieces of its aluminum fuselage skin salvaged and transformed into limited-edition aviation collectible tags.

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