A rapid increase in the number of aircraft reaching the end of their economic life presents considerable opportunities for the aircraft dismantling and recycling industry, according to the study. Industry operators predict that between 1,200 and 1,800 aircraft will be dismantled and torn down over the next three years.
It also found that close to $3.2 billion worth of harvested parts will be made available to the commercial aviation supply chain in the form of aftermarket parts during the year, offering around 50 per cent savings compared to new OEMs parts.
Martin Fraissignes, AFRA’s Executive Director, comments: ‘This substantive piece of research confirms that our industry is both vibrant and growing.
‘As our sector grows, it is increasingly clear that it is not just about having enough dismantling and recycling capacity, it must be the right capacity. Hence AFRA’s commitment to ensuring that as many companies as possible agree to follow our Best Management Practice Guide and secure AFRA Accreditation so that aircraft owners know with certainty that their assets will be dealt with in the most environmentally responsible manner once they come to the end of their service life. It is important that the good practices we have developed are adopted by new entrants as well as established operators in the industry’.
‘This study underscored the impact that the currently high level of aircraft retirements is having on the aftermarket supply chain, especially for mature fleets’, said David A. Marcontell, TeamSAI’s President & COO. ‘Put differently, there are $3.2 billion worth of alternatives to new parts or expensive repairs out there, undoubtedly having a material impact to OEM’s, MRO’s, and aftermarket parts distributors alike’, he added.
TeamSAI Consulting's survey of the global aircraft dismantling and recycling sector is based on the input of 36 AFRA members. The full report can be downloaded from TeamSAI at www.betterinsight.aero.
About AFRA
Established in 2006, AFRA is a not-for-profit industry association with 74 members, from 18 countries whose businesses focus on environmentally responsible management of aircraft as they reach the end of their life cycles. AFRA members have many years of combined aircraft recycling experience.
AFRA has developed Best Management Practices for dismantling and recycling aircraft in an efficient and environmentally-sound manner and is focused on continuous improvement and expansion of the scope of the BMP to seek ever greater efficiencies.