Airbus and partners to establish aircraft lifecycle services centre in China

On 18 January 2022 in Chengdu, Airbus signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the city of Chengdu and Tarmac Aerosave for the development of the first sustainable aircraft “life cycle” service centre in China. This agreement will cover a range of activities 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. This unique centre will support the expansion of Airbus’ aviation services while enabling the implementation of China's “Green Industry” strategy”, said Klaus Roewe, Head of Airbus Customer Services.

George Xu, EVP and CEO of Airbus China also commented, “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.”

A formal agreement to establish and frame this industrial cooperation is planned to be signed between the partners in mid-2022, with an entry into service of the new centre slated for the end of 2023, subject to relevant regulatory approvals.

Tarmac Aerosave will bring its 15 years of proven expertise in eco-efficient aircraft dismantling to the project.

Located in the same centre, Airbus subsidiary Satair will acquire ageing aircraft, trade and distribute the resulting used parts to complete the full scope of life cycle services. The facility will cover a surface area of 690,000 square metres and a storage capacity of 125 aircraft.

With this project, we continue to deploy our sustainability roadmap for the aviation industry, enabling the increased re-use of aircraft and the recycling of materials and equipment.