AN AEROPLANE that has been parked at Bournemouth Airport for around 20 years is to be broken up and scrapped. 

Skymonster was parked at Hurn’s airport in 2003 for retirement having been in service as a cargo craft since 1970. 

Bournemouth International Airport Limited offered the aircraft for sale in January 2010 but no buyer was found. 

Bournemouth Aviation Museum said it had looked at taking on the beloved aircraft, but there were “legal issues” and it would have cost thousands just to get it across the road. 

The Skymonster at Bournemouth when it was registered as 9G-LCAThe Skymonster at Bournemouth when it was registered as 9G-LCA (Image: YSSYguy/Wikipedia)

The museum said: “I know we have a lot of followers asking what that big silver plane is over the airport and once we explain that she has been there for years and she is the only one left in the world and she is likely to be broken up people ask for updates when they visit so we have developed a following.   

“Well, the news today is Skymonster has lost her battle as she is due to be broken up starting this week. Very sad news and she is going to be missed.” 

Also named the Guppy, it was built as a one-off extended version of a 1960s Canadair CL-44 transport plane. 

Built in 1961 as a standard CL-44 operated by the American Flying Tiger airline, Skymonster's enlarged loadspace was originally conceived by aviation entrepreneur Jack Conroy to fly Saturn rockets from California to the launch pad in Florida. 

N447FT at Bournemouth in 2014.N447FT at Bournemouth in 2014. (Image: aceebee/Wikipedia)

With its expanded fuselage, the Skymonster first flew in 1969 and its 90-foot loadspace, 29-ton carrying capacity and 5,000-mile range was employed by a variety of operators around the globe to carry everything from aero engines to giraffes and other animals. 

Skymonster was also a regular visitor to Hurn where its swing tail design could swallow complete BAC 1-11 fuselages made at the factory on the airport for delivery to the Romanian airline Tarom. 

Aviation enthusiasts have been left disappointed with the decision, with one telling the Echo: "Seems ridiculous to scrap something so unique when the museum has an interest in preserving it."

Bournemouth Airport has been approached for a comment.