Jet liners' final landing place

Steyr

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/01/08/jet-liners-final-landing-place-115875-21951007/

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Bit of a read but good article

Jet liners' final landing place
By Nick Harding 8/01/2010

Next time you find yourself wondering which coloured bottle bank to put your empties in, spare a thought for Mark Gregory.

As boss of the world's most prolific aircraft salvage company, his recycling problems come somewhat larger - 747s and Airbuses.

And because more and more airlines are going bust or merging, business is booming for this 21st-century Steptoe.

A few months ago passenger jet EC-GRE was ferrying holidaymakers to Mediterranean resorts.

Today it sits on pallets at the back of an airfield in Gloucestershire in the compound run by Mark's company, Air Salvage International.

Its wings are shorn, its undercarriage is missing and thousands of wires spill from its hold.

The perfectly airworthy 19-year-old plane was flown here to be dismantled for spares after its operator Clickair merged with a rival.

The fact that passenger jet recycling is one of the few growing sectors of the airline business is testament to the depth of the recession.

Thanks in part to a shortage of aircraft components, some planes are worth more for scrap than they are in the air.

And ASI is now the busiest aircraft dismantler in the world. Since it started in 1994 it has handled over 350 aircraft, recycled 4,000 tons of aluminium and sent staff all over the world to reclaim jets.

Mark said: "Breaking up an aircraft is a last resort as on a balance sheet a plane is a big commodity.

"But some parts are worth a lot and if there is the right demand there comes a stage when many planes hold more value as parts than they do as a whole."

And surprisingly, in an industry noted for its green credentials, ASI can recycle up to 90 per cent of some aircraft.

Components such as engines and avionics equipment fetch staggering prices.

A used engine is worth between £80,000 and £6million. Flight computers go for up to £120,000 And it's surprising what other uses old jets can be put to.

Hangar supervisor Keith May said: "We supply fuselages to film and TV firms.

"We cut a plane into three parts for a crash on Holby City and one of our planes was used in the Johnny English movie.

"Airframes are also sent to colleges so cabin crew can train in them. Some of the cockpits are sold to companies making flight simulators and even the toilets have a value. The pumps are worth money although whoever removes them needs a tetanus jab and arm-length gloves."

The SAS has also used some planes for training. And last summer the Dutch secret service spent several days with ASI practicing how to force their way into a jet without damaging the interior.

"They bought their own tank and blew the doors of a 747," explained Keith.

There is demand among plane spotters for first-class reclining seats complete with built-in screens and reading lights.

Enthusiast snap them up for £300 each. They cost £5,000 new. One customer makes desks from engine cowls.

Cabin doors are used by police to test firearms and even dregs of fuel left in the planes are drained and used to fire the firm's heating system.

Like car scrapyards, ASI's site at Cotswold Airport, Kemble, also houses parts from insurance write-offs.

The huge engines of the BA Boeing 777 which crash landed at Heathrow last January are kept by an insurance company in the hanger.

The broken turbine blades are still clogged with grass and mud from when it fell short of the tarmac. Other parts of the aircraft have already been packaged, certified safe and sold. The rudder was recently auctioned.

On the apron in front of a hanger, like a giant second-hand car lot, four new arrivals await their fate.

A Ukrainian Airlines 737, which sold within three weeks of arrival, is awaiting delivery to its new owners.

Three surplus KLM aircraft are stored while the owner decides what to do with them.

One sits forlornly without its engines. They have been leased out to another operator.

It's not unusual to kit out planes with rented components - a jet engine can be hired for £40,000 a month.

And before you panic about flying on a plane with second-had bits, the people who do the recycling say it's perfectly safe.

Each major part has a predetermined shelf life and its own service history.

Components such as engines, auxiliary power units and avionics can only be fitted on other aircraft after rigorous testing and approval.

The second-hand market is worth £1.2bn a year and as the aviation industry becomes greener, the amount of reusable and recyclable parts is set to increase.

Mark explained: "Manufacturers are aiming for next-generation aircraft to be 100 per cent recyclable."

Workers at ASI aren't expecting business to slow down anytime soon. The firm has had to increase staff to meet the workload.

And over Christmas they had to work to clear space for a DHL freight jet that's ready to be dismantled.

Because of the rapid expansion of airlines throughout the last twenty years, experts predict that over the next two decades there will be 12,500 passenger jets around the world reaching the end of their useful lives.

Many will end up in Mark's elephants' graveyard for retired Jumbos.