Envisa colleagues Ayce Celikel and Thomas Roetger believe refining end-of-life processes will help to uphold asset values and reduce risks.

Few people precisely know what happens when aircraft approach end-of-life (EOL), although on average 700 aircraft globally are permanently retired every year, at an average age of approximately 25 years.

The Covid pandemic highlighted large aircraft storage areas at quiet airports. While most parked aircraft returned to service post-crisis, the usual business of aircraft decommissioning, dismantling and recycling gained prominence. Companies which typically hold a Part 145 licence can remove, test and resell parts from decommissioned aircraft, with spare parts sales serving as a significant revenue stream for the last aircraft owner. Reputable decommissioning firms possess the tools and expertise to dismantle aircraft structures safely and eco-consciously, maximising material recycling. Presently, approximately 90-95 per cent of an aircraft’s weight can be reused or recycled.

In 2022, the EASA mandated an Envisa study to analyse the EOL sector and recommend ways to improve its sustainability and efficiency.

Suggestions included efforts to enhance composite recycling methods as well as eco-design principles so that at the point when an aircraft is built it is already recognised as being easy to recycle. If manufacturers provided lists of materials for each aircraft part, it would become much easier for recyclers to identify different metal alloys, composites or hazardous materials requiring special treatment. Also, introducing a register of definitively dismantled aircraft would help in the fight against uncertified (‘bogus’) parts re-entering service.

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Most retired operational aircraft thus follow a predictable path: owners assess the residual asset value, valuable components are harvested for reuse, and the remaining structure is directed to recycling facilities. This well‑orchestrated process ensures that all of these aircraft contribute to the circular economy.

In contrast, the fate of aircraft grounded due to unexpected factors such as cessation of operations, accidents or technical failure require special treatment. They cannot reach decommissioning sites and therefore lie dormant at airports with asset values degrading with each passing day. To bring them to dismantling and recycling facilities, they need to be cut into transportable sections at the airport where they have been stranded.

Envisa is a partner in the EU-funded OLGA project which studies how to efficiently handle the decommissioning of stranded planes. This is where the concept of dismantling processes using mobile equipment presents itself as an innovative and necessary response. Specialised companies work with local partners to ensure dismantling is carried out safely and with no environmental risk. In cases of accidented aircraft, all parts must be shredded to avoid any risk of re-use of unsafe parts.

The topic of aircraft EOL is receiving increasing attention. Both IATA and AFRA have established best practice manuals for aircraft decommissioning, but further process refinement and regulation will help to preserve residual values and minimise risks even more than before.

This feature was first published in MRO Management – April 2024. To read the magazine in full, click here.