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(CNN) — The Airbus A380 entered service two decades ago, but while passengers loved it, it was doomed from the start. Airlines were too big and too expensive to operate because of its four engines, it quickly fell out of service, and was surpassed by more fuel-efficient twin-engine airplanes.

In the year Since its launch in 2005, Airbus has built only 251 A380s – far fewer than originally planned – and production ends at the end of 2021. Although most are still flying, with the aircraft resurgent after Covid, many have already been canceled or recycled – ahead of the normal schedule for passenger aircraft.

“The A380 is definitely one of the smallest aircraft that has ever been recycled,” said Geoff van Klaveren, aviation analyst at consultancy IBA. “Typically, a commercial aircraft is expected to operate for 25 years before being destroyed.”

Only a handful of companies can recycle the world’s largest passenger aircraft, and the most experienced is Tarmac Aerosave, which has recycled more than 300 aircraft at three sites in France and Spain. The company, which is partly owned by Airbus, has recycled six A380s. He is currently working on the seventh, which will be completed in March.

This A380 fly with wire side stick was auctioned in 2022.

Marion Brochard

Tarmac won’t say exactly which airlines these A380s fly with, but Van Klaveren speculates they could be from Air France, Singapore Airlines and Emirates. It is not an easy task. “It’s hard to cancel the A380 because there’s a limited market for the parts,” he says.

“That said, being an aluminum frame it is lighter than composite aircraft like the A350 or Boeing 787, where there is currently no way to recycle the airframe and it is simply cut up and buried or buried.”

Reusing the Superjumbo

Tarmac Aerosave aims to recycle 90% of aircraft.

Tarmac Aerosave

How can such a huge plane be recycled, and what happens to the parts and materials that are created? “Recycling starts with reusing the various parts of the aircraft and extending its life just like you would in your home,” said Lionel Roques, sales director for Tarmac Aerosave. “So the first step is to take out some pieces that will continue to fly on another plane.”

These include engines, landing gear and some avionics — the electronic parts of the aircraft that perform functions such as communications or navigation. These units are guaranteed for airworthiness and are fully monitored and resold. The A380 units will be spare parts for the existing fleet of A380s. They can also be used for training purposes. “Sometimes we can provide schools or training facilities for new mechanics or students coming into the industry to train on real parts,” Roques says.

This part of the process generally takes a few weeks. After completion, they move to the next stage: waste management. “This is where we identify all the different materials, aluminum, titanium or copper, and we make sure that we provide the right recovery channels that will be reused in something new tomorrow,” says Roques.

This stage is particularly challenging, as the 120-tonne A380 is huge, with only 120 tonnes of aluminium. Roques explains: “Because it’s a big plane, you need a big facility, and you have to adapt your equipment and methods to something so big. You also have to be careful with safety and the work environment, because when you’re working. You have a mechanic who works on the second floor of the plane; That’s pretty high.

Tarmac says it will work to recycle “down to the last script” and wants to recover more than 90% of the aircraft by weight, although there are no specific instructions in the field. “The rest of the waste is as little as possible. Of course, some composite material or some dangerous material remains that cannot be recycled, but about a small percentage, like 1% to 3%, which will be residual waste or. to the landfill. Go,” Roques added.

He says the cost of the surgery is in the “six-figure” range. It is very dependent on the number of parts that need to be removed from the aircraft – and they can vary according to the customer’s requirements.

Upcycle for avgeeks

This bar from an Emirates aircraft bicycle sold for $50,000.

David Copeman / Emirates

But there is also another way of doing things: cycling. Or as Roques puts it: “Extracting parts that are pictures or interesting to use as decorative elements.” Late last year, Airbus did just that to raise money for charity, auctioning off hundreds of items from its former Emirates A380.

This gave aviation enthusiasts the opportunity to purchase everything from small items such as door stops, seatbelts, handrails, exit signs, latches, lights, curtains and kettles to large seat rows, stairs, drink carts and engine parts. Some came in special editions painted by different artists.

Most desirable, however, was the full business cabin bar, more than seven feet high, which has become one of the aircraft’s signature features in the Emirates configuration. It sold for about $50,000.

An irreplaceable plane

This engine fan blade was painted by French graffiti artist Miadana Randriamorsata and is up for auction.

Marion Brochard

Parts from the A380 can be reused for a long time to support the aircraft’s existing fleet, especially as more and more airlines are returning superjumbos to service. It was done by Qantas, which revived its own after two years in storage. Meanwhile, both Etihad and Lufthansa are expected to partially bring their dormant A380 fleet into service by early 2023.

“The life of the A380 has not yet been written, and you need spare parts to support the operation. We are now dismantling the aircraft and putting spare parts into the market to support the extended operation of the aircraft,” says Roques.

He believes A380 operators will consolidate in the future, leaving just one for each major region: British Airways for the transatlantic, Emirates in the Middle East, Qantas in Oceania and Singapore in Asia.

He also thinks we’ll never see that type of aircraft again. “It’s a unique and unique aircraft, and its life will be extended as long as possible – but I don’t see anything replacing it.”

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