Passenger Aircraft at End-of-Life

Purpose – The presentation summarizes the state-of-the-art in aircraft end-of-life strategies.

Methodology – A literature review is the basic research method utilized. A visit to a dismantling site complemented the findings. Journeys and the Internet show examples of special reuse approaches giving aircraft and components a second life.

Findings – In the past aircraft went to "boneyards" at their end-of-live where they were simply left on their own. This should be avoided in the future. Instead aircraft are initially parked and stored. If no further operation is possible, aircraft are dismantled. Components and material is recycled as far as possible. The rest is disposed. Research has been done on the topic by Airbus, Boeing, other industrial companies, and academic institutions. The aircraft recycling industry starts to build up now by the launch of several recycling plants. The aircraft recycling market will slowly mature with associations like the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) and with the publication of guidance material for best practices. The significant higher percentage of composites in modern aircraft types is a challenge for aircraft recycling. Special reuse approaches are only a niche market and not able to cope with the number of aircraft that need to be decommissioned each year.

Value – The presentation gives a year 2022 overview on the state-of-the-art of aircraft end-of-life handling with many pictures.