The abandoned commercial planes that were parked on the perimeter of far-off airfields went mostly unnoticed for many years. It took some time before it became apparent what treasures lie dormant in these “aircraft graveyards”: engines, turbine components, avionics, and landing gear may all be used as spare parts, and fuselage pieces include priceless metals like aluminum, titanium, and copper that can be recycled. To create unique furniture, even seats, wall fittings, and wing parts can be recycled.
Decommissioning and recycling aircraft entails a wide range of disciplines and involves issues connected to the environment, operations, safety, law, and the economy. As a result, it is crucial that all parties with a stake in the aviation industry work together to create and execute best practices in this area. Thus a new sector that is quickly gaining prominence is the business of disassembling, dismantling, and recycling aircraft.
The recycling of aircraft is a young industry in Europe, but it is growing quickly. The main competitor is the French firm TARMAC Aerosave, in which Airbus shares an interest. Several small and medium-sized businesses that specialize in airplane demolition and recycling share the market in Germany. The goal is to recycle as many materials as feasible.
It takes a certain level of skill to disassemble a whole aircraft, classify each component by kind, and then reprocess it. For instance, it is necessary to carefully disassemble engines and landing gear that will be used as spare components. Next, all contaminants must be eliminated, including oils from hydraulic lines, kerosene, and extinguishing agents.
After all the preliminary work is finished, according to Marc E. Keske, CEO of MoreAero GmbH, disassembling an airplane can take two to six days, depending on its size. The business specializes in decommissioning airplanes where they were last grounded. According to Keske, the owner benefits from on-site dismantling because they save money by not having to move the aircraft. His teams are organized to function everywhere.
Everything they require, including pumps to drain the kerosene tanks and brake lines, tools to remove pressurized compressed air cartridges or oxygen tanks, and scrap shears that can be installed to excavators, is sent to the site by train or sea in a conventional container.
Once an airplane has irreversibly lost its ability to fly, it is no longer regarded as an item that the State of the registry is responsible for and could even be regarded as waste. This typically happens after the last owner of the aircraft has sold the aircraft to a company that dismantles it and after all of the pieces intended for reuse have been removed.
After that, it becomes commercial waste. Some aircraft components can be reused for non-aerospace purposes during the disassembly process, while the remaining components will be deemed waste and removed and sent for additional processing.
Upcycling: A New Life
Upcycling is a growing industry that, in addition to conventional recycling, enables used components to shine in brand-new splendor. In this situation, inventiveness has no bounds. Numerous businesses are selling trolley furniture as well as bags and accessories made from seat covers and life jackets, and entire aircraft are being converted into hotels or flats. Small “aeropods” created from fuselage parts are also being utilized as conservatories or gazebos.
Wilco Design CEO and one of the company’s founders, Marius Krämer, creates upscale furniture with the help of his staff. He obtains the raw materials from waste management companies and airlines. He claims that upcycling is quite popular as of now. Krämer asserts that people are beginning to see the benefits of reusing items rather than discarding them. His furniture line includes tables created from wing portions, wall bars made from fuselage pieces, and repaired trolleys and seats. Even a whirlpool remains that formerly served as the inlet for an Airbus engine.The airlines have also picked up on this trend and promoted it. For instance, Lufthansa provides its Miles and More clients with access to its own upcycling collection, which includes a range of items from the Messenger Backpack to the Flying Coffee Table—each of which includes information on where the decommissioned aircraft parts came from. In other words, recycling aircraft is becoming a lifestyle.
