Aircraft spares management company AJW Group has purchased three A330-200s for teardown.

The three ex-Thomas Cook UK aircraft were manufactured in 1999. They are powered by RB211 Trent 700 engines, featuring GTCP331-350 auxiliary power units.

The aircraft will be disassembled on-site at Manchester Airport. AJW will manage the disassembly remotely, coordinated by an experienced technical team and engine specialists. This negates the need to ferry the aircraft to a teardown facility, the company said.

The A330 components will be recertified at AJW Group’s maintenance hub in Montreal (AJW Technique), OEMs and other strategic vendors once they are removed from the fuselage.

The inventory will be held at AJW Group’s UK headquarters and at strategic global hubs, where they will be available to support AJW Group’s ad-hoc and contracted airline customers.

AJW Group’s chief financial officer Ian Malin said: “Purchasing aircraft out of a bankruptcy is rarely straightforward, however we have also had to navigate our way through during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

“The challenges AJW have overcome – from resources and the ability to physically inspect the aircraft – we have taken in stride and found solutions to successfully pursue this transaction.”