Photo/Illutration Dismantling work continues on Jan. 15 on the first mass-produced YS-11 model, which has been stored at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport for around 20 years. (Naoki Shoji)

Japan’s first mass-produced passenger plane built after World War II, an aircraft with enormous historical value, will finally get a permanent home at a theme park in Ibaraki Prefecture around September.

The YS-11 model has been stored in Tokyo’s Haneda Airport for about two decades, and dismantling work for its transfer to The Hirosawa City theme park in Chikusei started in September.

All parts will be carried to the theme park by the end of March.

The mass-production of YS-11 propeller planes began under a national policy in the 1950s, after the end of the war-related, seven-year ban on Japan’s development of aircraft.

A total of 182 YS-11 planes, including two prototypes, were built for airlines in Japan and other countries.

The first mass-produced airplane belonged to the former Transport Ministry’s Civil Aviation Bureau and flew for the first time in 1964. From 1965 to 1998, it was used to test control communication and other facilities.

After its retirement, it was stored in a hangar at Haneda Airport by the National Museum of Nature and Science.

However, maintenance costs of about 10 million yen ($91,000) a year piled up for an aircraft that hardly anyone sees. Some politicians had called for an end to the storage project.

The airplane will be leased to The Hirosawa City theme park for free. The theme park will be responsible for preparing a covered building to exhibit the YS-11 on a regular basis.

“The YS-11 is a memorable airplane that I had boarded as a passenger,” said Kiyoshi Hirosawa, 81, head of the theme park. “I want everyone, from children to adults, to enjoy it.”

The aircraft was regarded as a symbol of Japan’s recovery from World War II.

The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers designated the first mass-produced YS-11 model on its Mechanical Engineering Heritage list. It was also listed an Important Aviation Heritage by the Japan Aeronautic Association.

“The first mass-produced YS-11 model represents a ‘clump of hardships’ among aviation-related people as well as a priceless reference for use in developing future domestic airplanes,” said Kazuyoshi Suzuki, a senior official of the National Museum of Nature and Science.

“Preserving and making the best of it with the support of the private sector is a meaningful new step,” Suzuki said.

On Jan. 15, the final process of removing the left wing from the fuselage was shown to the media.