Turkey Airbus now an artificial reef

Turkey Airbus artificial reef

An Airbus A300 was sunk in the Aegean Sea off the coast of the southwestern resort town Kuşadası this week.

The retired plane will now serve as an artificial reef and attract tourists as part of a municipal project.

The Turkey Airbus artificial reef was brought on Saturday to the Güzelçamlı neighborhood of the town on five trucking rigs nearly two months after the dismantling process started in Istanbul on April 7.

Turkey Airbus artificial reef

The plane, which is reportedly the biggest plane ever used as a reef, cost 270,000 Turkish Lira, is 54 meters long and 44 meters wide.

Aydin’s mayor, Özlem Çerçioğlu said:

“Our goal is to make Kuşadası a centre of diving tourism. Our goal is to protect the underwater life. And with these goals in mind, we have witnessed one of the biggest wrecks in the world.”

She added: “Our main target to diversify tourism in Kuşadası and have a 12-month season.”

Parts of the plane were slated to be sunk with lifting cranes, while heavy construction equipment was used to maintain control during the process. Floating balloons were tied to parts of the plane while the whole body was brought down 20 to 25 meters with the help of divers, a process which took about 2.5 hours.

Turkey's biggest reef, an Airbus A300, sunk off coast of Kuşadası to boost diving tourism https://t.co/rjUFvnkeag pic.twitter.com/Mee7AcrG4a

— DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) June 4, 2016