Lesen Sie deutsche Version
6000 alte Flugzeuge werden in den kommenden 20 Jahren aus dem Verkehr gezogen. Das bringt viel Abfall mit sich – und ein Geschäft für spezialisierte Verwerter. Vor allem, wenn die Rohstoffpreise wieder anziehen
English Version:
I was a Boeing: Aircraft Recycling can be Profitable
According to estimations of aircraft manufacturer Boeing, about 6,000 old aircraft will be taken out of operation in the next twenty years.
This is a good business for recycling companies such as JMV Aviation. Those companies are members of the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA), the world's largest industry association offering "end of life" solutions for aircraft. Each year, its members take apart 30,000 tons of aluminum, 1,800 tons of special alloying and 600 tons of spare parts.
Depending on the age of the parts and the demand in the market, the spare parts are very profitable. A Boeing 747 from 1978 is still worth about one million Euros without engines.
"If I buy an aircraft for two million Euros, I want to earn at least 3 million with the spare parts, "said JMV manager Karl Rickard. In 2008, the Luxembourg-based company has recycled about 30 aircraft and made revenues of 30 million Euros.
The empty aircraft goes over to JMV's colleagues at Bartin Aéro Recycling (BAR) which used to make large profits in aluminum recycling. A Boeing DC-10 contains 75 tons of aluminum which is recycled by BAR and sold for 300 Euros a ton. But today, this does not cover the costs of the recycling process. "We did not expect this kind of price slump," said Yves Basset of BAR. Many empty aircraft are thus just abandoned in the hope that the price for aluminum will increase again.
Boeing is member of the AFRA association although it does not participate in the recycling process. Nevertheless, it supports the members with its know-how. Until 2016, 95 percent of each Boeing aircraft should be recyclable. Boeing is planning to invest 75 percent of its research budget - 2.8 billion dollars in 2008 - for environmentally friendly technologies.
|
