The Nuts and Bolts of Aviation Recycling

Take that For Sale sign off that plane and say goodbye to those sky high hanger fees, because I have some really good news. That aging, fuel guzzling aircraft is actually worth more as spare parts and scraps than it is if you sold it intact. And you would also get more profit from the spare parts on that older commercial aircraft than you would if you flew passengers around the world in it.  

If you have a buddy in the airline industry you know exactly what I’m talking about:  For the last decade, the squeeze on airline profits has made leading carriers cut costs by taking advantage of aircraft recycling and using second-hand parts for maintenance and repairs. This opened a whole new market  for plane parts and if you have a plane to get rid of, this is the time to do it if you want to make a profit.  

From small private planes to commercial and military aircraft, here at E-Cycle we have extensive knowledge of every nut and bolt on an aircraft so that we can tell you its value as spare parts and turn that old hunk of junk into cash in your pocket.

Experts estimate that about 70-80% of an aircraft can be reused. So how do we do what we do?  The magic all begins when your plane arrives at our facility (or we can come to you).  First that old Boeing 737 or Cessna 172 from the 70’s is dismantled.

The first thing to go is the engines, which we remove and sell to airlines, test and fit to another aircraft, or chop into parts and sell to maintenance and repair organizations. (Little secret here--you can often get more money for parts than selling the engine as a whole.)  

Other parts of a plane that can be taken off for reuse include items such as flight deck instruments, black box flight recorders, air conditioning, flying controls, flaps and spoilers, landing gear (wheels and hydraulics), fuel system and cabin interiors - like doors and windows. We’ll stick these in our warehouses while they are waiting to be sold and then recycle the leftover scrap metal. And by the way, we give you your money up front--you don’t have to wait until we sell the parts.

It’s really pretty cool all the other reasons why people buy plane parts. Plane enthusiasts buy seats for their homes. And other than aviation companies who reuse them, everything from flying controls to doors and windows are nabbed by production companies for film and TV and by the SAS for training and simulation.

So shake a leg!  Selling that aging aircraft is a piece of cake when it’s broken down to the nuts and bolts.