Lesen Sie deutsche Version
Südlich von Paris gibt
es einen der größten
Schrottplätze für ausgemustertes
Fluggerät.
Hier werden auch
wiederverwendbare
Teile ausgeschlachtet –
und grundüberholt
als Ersatzteile
weiterverkauft.
English Version
Aircraft Graveyard
South of Paris, there is one of the largest Junkyards for decommissioned
Aircraft.
The Châteauroux Air Centre, 266 kilometers south of Paris, once used as a beachhead for the U.S. Air Force for an emergency in the east and as a production facility for the aircraft manufacturer Dassault, has seen better days. Today it serves as a transshipment center for cargo planes and as a basis for maintenance work – as well as a scrap yard. Châteauroux is a member of the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA). Founded three years ago, AFRA is dedicated to encouraging the recycling of unused aircraft.
Sixty to sixty-five percent of all the parts on a retired aircraft, says Châteauroux Centre General Manager Martin Fraissignes, can be recycled. Once an aircraft arrives in Châteauroux, combustible materials and toxins are removed first, while kerosene remains in the tanks. Battery fluids and lubricant are then removed. On average, 65 to 75 percent of the material generated during demolition is metal, of which 85 percent is aluminum, ten percent is steel, and only about three percent is more valuable alloys such as titanium.
Besides Châteauroux, other AFRA members include the Airplane manufacturer Boeing, the turbine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Volvo Aero and, U.S. aircraft recycling company Evergreen. However no German company is currently a member.
A non-profit organization, AFRA has gained 41 members since its founding in 2006. The members commit themselves to the meeting quality standards, handling toxic materials and safely putting operational parts back into circulation. AFRA members store half of the world’s retired aircraft under their wings, and AFRA’s goal is to create a 95% recycling rate by 2016. |
