Airbus, Tarmac Aerosave and Chengdu to launch China’s first aircraft lifecycle center

27 April 2023 – Airbus, Tarmac Aerosave and the City of Chengdu have established a Joint Venture for the first aircraft “lifecycle” services centre in China. The new facility will cover a range of activities from aircraft parking and storage, to maintenance, upgrades, conversions, dismantling and recycling services for various aircraft types. 

The announcement follows an initial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in January 2022. Entry into service of the new centre is scheduled around the turn of this year. 

The facility will cover a surface area of 717,000 square metres and a storage capacity of 125 aircraft. It will be embedded in a complete ecosystem with an adjacent aviation industry park hosting aerospace manufacturing and services companies in Shuangliu District, Chengdu. It will be another key milestone of cooperation between Airbus and China, as it contributes to strengthening China's aviation industry in aftermarket services. With this aircraft lifecycle centre, Airbus’ footprint in China is expanded to cover the entire industrial chain, from parts manufacturing, aircraft assembly and delivery, fleet operation and to end-of-life services, such as dismantling and high-value parts re-cycling. 

“This new centre in Chengdu fits perfectly into Airbus' approach to environmental responsibility across the entire aircraft lifecycle. Aircraft storage, upgrades and dismantling will all take place under one roof. We are very pleased to be working with our strong and experienced partners Tarmac Aerosave and the City of Chengdu  to develop the first lifecycle services centre of this kind in China and its range of services," says Cristina Aguilar, Airbus SVP Customer Services. 

Tarmac Aerosave brings its more than 15 years of proven expertise in efficient aircraft dismantling to the project. Located in the same centre, Airbus subsidiary Satair will acquire ageing aircraft, trade and distribute the used parts to complete the full scope of lifecycle services. 75 percent of the aircraft stored in the centre will be transitioned into a second lifecycle. The remaining aircraft will be dismantled with the unique Tarmac Aerosave process, recovering around 90 percent of the aircraft weight, far exceeding industry standards.