Aircraft Teardowns: Repair, Repurpose, Reuse
According to teardown.aero the aircraft teardown market is worth USD 5 billion, with over 600 aircraft teardowns happening yearly. There are nearly 100 plus teardown companies across the globe.
An aircraft is made up of approximately 800 to 1000 recyclable parts, made of mainly metal alloys and composite materials.
Aircraft teardown refers to the process of disassembling an aircraft, typically for the purpose of salvaging usable parts or materials, recycling components, or conducting detailed inspections and analysis. This process can involve carefully dismantling the aircraft, separating its components, and evaluating their condition for potential reuse or resale.
The reasons for aircraft teardown may be several, mainly for an aircraft owner to find value after the life of an asset due to being withdrawn permanently from service or operations. Here, the aircraft is dismantled in parts.
Parts of an older model may still be reused, and as such have value in the aftermarket parts market. The teardown business hence can be lucrative. Again, a teardown allows a closer inspection or a deeper understanding of the various components and their condition and performance, such as the engine, avionics, landing gear, and more. Also, useful in identifying any potential issues.
Teardowns allow research on aircraft design, performance, and maintenance practices, based on which development / modifications of newer technology with improvements can take place, for safe and reliable operations.
In today’s day and age, driving sustainable practices recycling, repurposing, and reusing after repairs, has assumed even greater significance. Materials, such as aluminium, titanium, and composites, can be upcycled for reuse in other industries, thus reducing waste and environmental impact.
When buyers for an aircraft are hard to come by, parting out the aircraft is a practical solution. While selling a retired aircraft may be faster, the return on harvested spare parts may be higher, at times.
An aircraft teardown business is a long-term investment (generally 3 to 5 years), and the upfront costs are in certification, freight, and storage. A robust aftermarket parts market supports such a business, badditionally, these parts may support one’s valuable spare parts inventory. There are also the earnings that may come from selling parts to other operators in a batch.
A teardown business also sells components from retired aircraft or engines that are being harvested, and preselling those specific materials before the commencement of the dismantling process ever begins. Teardown companies then go about identifying buyers for each part harvested.
Buyers review a comprehensive list (of aircraft and engines), make offers to book, and pre-buy the material before a teardown commences. Aircraft documents are carefully scrutinised, parts are identified for selection, and making an offer for the listed items. These may include those not on the harvest list.
Not 100% of all parts (repairable) that are harvested from aircraft facing a teardown, get sold. The numbers can run up to thousands.
Value of Engines at the Aircraft Teardown Stage
Engines are one of the first parts to be removed from the aircraft and are the highest-valued parts on the aircraft. Engines can be sold as a whole, leased, or torn down further for engine part spares, that other engine shops may use. Engines disassembly not only requires highly skilled technicians but also requires proper tooling and specialized shipping containers that offer protection from damage. And finally, having to depend on highly reliable logistics partners.
Disassembly Partner
A careful study of reviews and references of potential aircraft teardown partners is very important. Testaments of their past work, their ability to travel anywhere in the world, to perform a teardown, with an adequate sales network for selling off parts quickly, are crucial parameters to consider.
Consignment Partner
Services through a consignment partner may include aircraft teardown, logistics for moving parts and/or aircraft, warehouse storage, repair management, marketing, sales, and shipping.
Most aircraft teardowns take approximately 3 to 6 weeks (depending on the aircraft size).
The Importance of Location for Aircraft Teardown
The convenience of location for an aircraft teardown is important to consider. A teardown facility that is close makes it easy for an aircraft to be delivered for disassembly, and for the harvested parts to be shipped back. The time taken for a teardown process can be greatly shortened on account of the location.
Teardown Process Step by Step
The stages of an aircraft teardown process include:
– Draining service fluids, such as fuel and water
– Dismantling liquid parts from the wings, empennage, and fuselage
– Disconnecting landing gear
– Removing the cabin
– Packing removed parts for dispatch to repair shops for recertification
– Recycling the remaining body
The aircraft teardown/disassembly sector has its focus on going about conducting its business with a minimal negative impact on the environment. This is true especially while dealing with dispensing hazardous materials during a teardown or disassembly.
Some, of the waste can be salvaged with proper recycling, and thus can offer some value. An aircraft is a highly complex machine, made of many advanced materials and alloys. The technology used for disassembly and dismantling uses advanced technology to be able to carefully extract intricate materials and composites.
The aircraft that is scheduled for teardown flies to its destination, and the first steps include covering all engine inlets, exhausts, ports, and the Auxiliary Power Unit (APUs).
Any logos and markings on the livery are painted over. The removal of parts is done in accordance with what is agreed with the owner/ operator. This is followed by cleaning and meticulous packaging of the parts, which are tagged and signed.
Every part needs to be recorded in an inventory list. Other stages include the removal of the engines and APU, the hull is disassembled for disposal, and so is left over hydraulic fluids, fuel, and hazardous materials. Then there are myriads of components that need to be taken off. Disassembled. In fact, a typical airliner can be dismantled into 1,500 to 2,000 parts!
The parts of an aircraft that that are easily accessible, are removed first – these are avionics (flight deck and avionics bay) and safety equipment (slides, rafts, lights). Next are the control surfaces. The removal of flaps makes way for the removal of the hydraulic, air conditioning, and brake systems. Once done, it is the turn to remove smaller components. Items like the flight data recorder, electrical units, probes and tubes, antennas, transmitters, gauges, control panels, crew seats, and cockpit doors, are to be removed as part of line-replaceable units (LRUs). The landing gears and wheels are the last few components to be removed – all parts are harvested from the airframe. Typically, a teardown process can take up to 3 to 5 weeks depending on the aircraft size.
Post Teardown
As if the teardown process is not tedious enough, parts harvested need to be packaged, and re-certified according to client specifications, or as per aftermarket parts market demands. A typical aircraft can be dismantled into 1,500 to 2,000 parts- both large and smaller parts.
Challenges
If the aircraft is inoperable or cannot be transported to a disassembly facility, a teardown partner can travel to the aircraft’s location.
Regional/Corporate Jets
Retiring a regional or corporate jet can present challenges for operators who want to make the most of their investment. even retired aircraft can provide revenue in the parts market. Parts harvested from an aircraft teardown are then a source of revenue, and importantly offer a sustainable solution to parts supply by going easy on the environment.
Some Established Players in the Business
- CAVU Aerospace
- AerSale
- Gibbs Scrap
- HVF and Affiliates
- Universal Recycling
- Aircraft End-of-Life Solutions (AELS)
Conclusion
An aircraft teardown is a complex process requiring focussed planning, top notch expertise, and adherence to safety and environmental concerns. It covers the aviation industry’s sustainability efforts and the efficient management of aircraft assets.
