See Inside One of the World’s Largest Aircraft ‘Boneyards’ in Arizona

remon Buul

4 weeks ago

in April, the Aviation Circularity Consortium, including Australia’s flag carrier Qantas and other groups, was established as part of a “shared mission to accelerate supply chain decarbonization.”

A Qantas plane.

A Qantas plane.

The plan is to use the 8,000 “end-of-life retired aircraft” found in deserts, jungles and warehouses around the world. Another 11,000 are expected to become available over the next 10 years.

An airplane at Pinal Air Park in Arizona.

An airplane at Pinal Air Park in Arizona.

According to the consortium, the thousands of decommissioned aircraft offer “a new source of valuable circular materials” and address “significant challenges related to waste pollution in increasingly restricted legal graveyards around the world.”

These “graveyards” began to fill up during the pandemic, when airlines had to make drastic cost-cutting changes, including furloughing pilots, eliminating routes and storing hundreds of planes indefinitely. planes in the desert.

One such facility is Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona, a small town about 90 miles southeast of Phoenix.

The dry climate is favorable for the prevention of corrosion.

The dry climate is favorable for the prevention of corrosion.

As airlines began to wind down in 2020, hundreds of planes from around the world flew into the 2,080-acre airport park.

Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona.

Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona.

With this influx, Pinal had to take special precautions to ensure the plane was ready to fly once travel finally bounced back.

Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona.

Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona.

For this reason, Ascent Aviation Services – the largest aviation services provider at the airfield – has had to increase its staff to maintain consistent arrivals.

A maintenance hangar at Pinal Airpark in Arizona.

A maintenance hangar at Pinal Airpark in Arizona.

Leasing companies were also filling the airfield after buying cheap planes sold during COVID and storing them in Pinal.

Lessors did not have much maintenance activity before the pandemic, as they generally left this task to the operator. But Butler explained that companies began to be more involved in AAS because the planes needed to be maintained while in storage.

Lessors did not have much maintenance activity before the pandemic, as they generally left this task to the operator. But Butler explained that companies began to be more involved in AAS because the planes needed to be maintained while in storage.

Inside a remote Arizona airplane graveyard, where nearly 300 planes grounded by the pandemic are stored

However, with travel returning in full force and demand poised to surpass 2019 levels, AAS has returned to its roots: maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).

Before the pandemic, MRO services accounted for more than 70% of the company’s revenue.

Before the pandemic, MRO services accounted for more than 70% of the company’s revenue.

Basic offerings include simple maintenance checks and on-demand repairs, such as landing gear repair or flight control inspection.

AAS has its own landing gear workshop to repair and overhaul parts for reuse on other aircraft.

AAS has its own landing gear workshop to repair and overhaul parts for reuse on other aircraft.

However, heavy maintenance is the most costly for airlines. This involves a full assessment of the aircraft and can take up to 60 days for large jets, Butler said.

For example, less invasive maintenance checks (“A”) will inspect motors and their fan blades. Thorough maintenance checks (“C” and “D”) will actually remove these components for inspections.

For example, less invasive maintenance checks (“A”) will inspect motors and their fan blades. Thorough maintenance checks (“C” and “D”) will actually remove these components for inspections.

“A narrow body will cost around $2 million,” he told BI in May 2023. “With widebodies, you’re easily looking at $3 million.”

A view of cables and systems inside an airplane at an air park in Pinal.

A view of cables and systems inside an airplane at an air park in Pinal.

The main service it cannot provide is engine overhaul, which is outsourced to other workshops.

The engine separated from a plane at Pinal Airpark in Arizona.

The engine separated from a plane at Pinal Airpark in Arizona.

“A lot of our current projects are just waiting for engines,” Butler told BI. “There is a delay because no one has been servicing the engines during COVID because of the expense.”

A covered engine inside a hangar at Pinal Airpark.

A covered engine inside a hangar at Pinal Airpark.

During a tour of the airpark in April 2023, BI found the main lot filled with aircraft, including two rare Boeing 747SPs.

One of the Boeing 747SPs at Pinal airport.

One of the Boeing 747SPs at Pinal airport.

Butler told BI that stored aircraft also undergo regular maintenance checks to keep them airworthy.

A Boeing 777 under maintenance.

A Boeing 777 under maintenance.

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