Plane & Simple

摘要

As you fly home from holidays, or from a business trip, have you ever wondered what happens to the aircraft when it reaches the end of its useful life? According to the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) an estimated 12,000 aircraft are due to be retired in the next two decades. As environmental regulation becomes more robust, landfill regulations bite, and the materials used in aircraft manufacture change, the aerospace industry is constantly evolving, seeking new environmentally-sound methods for aircraft disposal. Previously, aircraft were retired on average at 30-plus years old. Over the past 10 years this has changed due to the improvement in technology, making newer aircraft more efficient - the average age of aircraft being retired is now 20 years and the time scale is reducing; some of the newest aircraft GJD Services Ltd have disposed of were only eight years old.