Airbus has signed an MoU with the city of Chengdu and Tarmac Aerosave for the development of the first sustainable lifecycle service centre in China. The centre will offer aircraft parking and storage, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, dismantling and recycling.
On Tuesday (January 18, 2022), Airbus announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the city of Chengdu and Tarmac Aerosave for the development of the first sustainable ‘lifecycle’ service centre in China. The agreement will include a range of activities including aircraft parking and storage, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, dismantling and recycling services for a variety of aircraft types. The partners expect to sign a formal agreement in mid-2022, with the entry into service of the new centre projected for the end of 2023 (subject to regulatory approvals).
In today’s announcement, Airbus Senior Vice President – Customer Services, Klaus Roewe, said,
“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. 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.”
Airbus’ strategic partner, Tarmac Aerosave, will bring 15 years of proven experience in eco-efficient aircraft dismantling to the project. Located in the same centre, Airbus subsidiary Satair will acquire aging aircraft, and trade and distribute the resulting usable parts to complete the full scope of lifecycle services. The new 690,000 square meter facility will have a storage capacity of up to 125 aircraft.
Source: Airbus