An aircraft lifecycle service centre is to be established in China, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Airbus, the city of Chengdu in China, and Tarmac Aerosave. Activities are to range from aircraft parking and storage to maintenance, upgrades, conversions, dismantling and recycling services, for various aircraft types.
“This is another concrete contribution to the aviation industry’s quest for sustainability, supporting the principle of a circular economy in line with Airbus’ purpose to pioneer sustainable aerospace,” said Klaus Roewe, senior vice president, Airbus Customer Services. “This unique centre will support the expansion of Airbus’ aviation services while enabling the implementation of China’s Green Industry strategy. Aircraft phase-out in China is forecast to grow exponentially over the next 20 years. Airbus is committed to investing in the region and this one-stop-shop – a first in China and outside of Europe – will see Airbus well-positioned on the Chinese aircraft ‘second life’ services market.”
The partners plan to sign a formal agreement to establish and frame this industrial cooperation in mid-2022. The centre is slated to open for service at the end of 2023, subject to relevant regulatory approvals.
Tarmac Aerosave will bring its 15 years of expertise in eco-efficient aircraft dismantling to the project. Located in the same centre, Airbus subsidiary Satair will acquire ageing aircraft, and trade and distribute the resulting used parts to complete the full scope of lifecycle services. The facility will cover a surface area of 690,000m² (7,427,098ft²) and have the capacity to store 125 aircraft.
