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A mix of Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are destined for teardown before the end of the year, as the demand for aircraft parts continues to rise. This will see more than ten A320neo and MAX aircraft destined for dismantling, as Tarmac Aerosave continues to process aircraft for recycling for its long-term client AerFin.
There continues to be strong demand for aircraft engines and parts, even with relatively new aircraft ending up in planes destined to be used for parts. Over the coming months and up until the end of the year, this has pushed Tarmac to dismantle ten more narrowbody jets.
Ten Aircraft Grounded And Destined For Parts
Tarmac Aerosave says it will “process more than 10 new-generation narrowbody aircraft” for AerFin, consisting of both 737 MAX and A320neo airframes to support the global parts chain. A steadily growing number of modern narrowbodies in the global fleet have already been parted out at relatively young ages to meet parts demand.
As Simple Flying covered earlier this year, multiple Airbus A320neos previously belonging to Spirit Airlines were recycled after flying for just three years. The new dedicated line between AerFin and Tarmac will address specialist needs, including cabin and landing gear removal, and a special team that is in charge of priority and standard parts.
As suggested by EirTrade and reported by AeroTime, the current aviation market worldwide is believed to have more than 4,400 Airbus A320neos and 6,500 A320ceos in service, with more than 7,000 A320neos on order, ensuring an ongoing pipeline where parts will be needed. Tarmac Aerosave added that “additional dismantling projects are already being prepared for 2027,” although it did not specify any aircraft figure.
Next Generation Parts Remain Popular
Tarmac plans to disassemble more than ten next-generation aircraft on behalf of AerFin before the end of the year as part of an expanded dismantling and recycling program between the two companies. This will cover many components that are necessary for AerFin’s growing demand for serviceable material from newer aircraft.
This partnership reflects the onging tradition of airlines toward newer-generation aircraft, and global fleets continuing to mature and the demand for replacement parts increasing. There are already additional dismantling projects planned for 2027 between AerFin and Tarmac as they deepen their ongoing collaboration.
Tarmac Aerosave is headquartered in Tarbes, France, and its website claims it to be the number one aircraft storage and engine green recycling company. It has three major shareholders as listed below:
Shareholder | Shareholding (%) |
|---|---|
Airbus | 33.6% |
Safran | 32.8% |
Suez | 33.6% |
What Exactly Is Aircraft Recycling?
Aircraft recycling is the process where airframes are disassembled from retired aircraft to recover valuable spare parts. These include even raw materials. The recycling process would start with decontamination, where workers drain hazardous fluids, such as jet fuel, oils, and hydraulic liquids, before high-value parts such as engines, landing gear, and flight electronics are removed, tested, and resold.
Inside the plane, cabins are often stripped back and the seats sold, insulation and wiring behind panels are removed, and plastics, fabrics, and copper are separated. When the frame itself is no longer required, heavy machinery will dissect the metal structure and cut down the mostly aluminum and titanium parts into small segments. Metal fragments will be sorted, eventually melted down in furnaces, and recast into raw ingots for manufacturing.
Overall, up to 90% of an aircraft’s total weight is possible to be recovered and recycled, dramatically reducing environmental waste. This supports the supply chain by providing recycled metal and secondhand parts being sold at lower than brand-new production costs, providing a cost-effective secondhand option for the aerospace and automotive industries.
The ten A320neo and 737 MAX, destined for parts, show the ongoing demand for second-hand aircraft parts as the supply chain continues to be put to the test for parts. These aircraft, albeit young, highlight that all aircraft have an expiry date, and some are earlier than others.
