What happens to a plane when it no longer flies? A French company has the answer.
Have you ever wondered when taking a plane what would become of him after “his death”? No ?
So that’s good because it’s the subject of the day with this French company which has established itself as the world reference in the “after life” sector of aircraft: TARMAC Aerosave.
Founded in 2007 in Tarbes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, by three giants: Airbus, Safran and Suez, it is today the world leader in green recycling of aircraft and engines.
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A commercial device weighs between 40 and 280 tonnes depending on the model. It is made up of aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber, copper, technical plastics, thousands of mechanical and electronic parts. Its average lifespan is around 25 to 30 years. When an airline decides to remove an aircraft from its fleet, because it consumes too much, because it is too old, because regulations are changing, etc., what do we do with this mass of material and technology?
For a long time, the answer was: nothing very glorious. Planes abandoned in American deserts, others cannibalized in the wild to recover a few parts, many ended up crushed without method or traceability. Aeronautics, although so rigorous in flight, was much less rigorous on the ground, at the end of its life.
It is exactly this void that TARMAC Aerosave decided to fill!
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The one-stop shop at the end of life
The company’s entire philosophy is to treat an aircraft as an industrial object whose entire trajectory is managed, from temporary storage to complete deconstruction. What the company calls “full life cycle”.
Concretely, when a plane arrives at TARMAC Aerosave, several scenarios are possible.
First case: the company just wants to park it long enough to get through a bad patch (an economic crisis, a pandemic, a fleet restructuring, etc.). The plane is then stored, maintained, monitored, ready to leave.
Second case: the device changes owner or company. It must then be reconfigured, inspected, and brought up to standard for its next operator.
Third case: the plane will never fly again. We dismantle it.
In this last scenario, TARMAC Aerosave deploys a precise process. Parts that are still usable: engines, landing gear, avionics, cabin equipment are dismantled, certified and reintroduced into the spare parts market. Non-reusable materials such as aluminum, titanium or copper are sorted, recovered and resold to recycling sectors.
The recovery rate exceeds 90%. For an industrial sector of this complexity, this is a remarkable performance!
Three sites, hundreds of planes, and a world record
TARMAC Aerosave operates on three sites in Europe: Tarbes and Toulouse in France, Teruel in Spain. Together, they can accommodate up to 280 aircraft and 120 engines simultaneously, the largest storage capacity on the continent.
The Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées site, located in Azereix (65380), constitutes the historic heart of the group and concentrates a large part of the technical know-how. In Spain, Teruel airport (44396) plays a central role in large-scale storage, with its vast areas capable of accommodating hundreds Finally, Toulouse-Francazal, in Cugnaux (135 avenue du Comminges, 31270), completes the package by specializing more in single-aisle aircraft and regional fleets.
Three sites, three complementary functions, but a single logic: covering the entire life cycle of aircraft, from storage to return to service or dismantling.
Since its creation, the company has received more than 1,470 aircraft, delivered more than 1,000 aircraft into service, and dismantled more than 360 aircraft and 190 engines. In 2019, it achieved a world first by recycling an Airbus A380 (the largest plane in the world, 73 meters wingspan, of which it recovered more than 90% of the mass).
To give an order of magnitude: the A380 weighs around 280 tonnes empty. Recycling 90% of this mass means recovering the equivalent of 250 tonnes of materials which go back into industrial sectors rather than ending up in landfill.
Born in France, recognized worldwide
TARMAC Aerosave is the result of French industrial cooperation with three shareholders for three complementary logics.
Airbus provides technical knowledge of the devices and access to manufacturers. Safran controls engines and equipment. Suez brings expertise in waste management and the circular economy. Without this triptych, the company would probably never have seen the light of day, or would not have reached this level of credibility so quickly.
TARMAC Aerosave holds EASA and FAA Part 145 approvals (the two major civil aviation authorities, European and American) as well as a series of quality and environmental certifications. This regulatory portfolio allows him to work for any global company, whether it operates Boeing or Airbus.
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A sector that will explode in the next ten years
The global aeronautical recycling market was worth 5.3 billion dollars in 2024. By 2034, it is expected to “explode” and reach 13.2 billion (11.24 billion euros) or 2.5 times in less than 10 years! Airbus estimates that nearly 19,000 older aircraft will be replaced over the next twenty years, generating approximately $52 billion in reusable parts and materials. It’s an entire industry that is inventing itself.
The engine of this growth? The massive renewal of global fleets. New generations of devices consume 20 to 25% less fuel than their predecessors. Airlines have no choice: they accelerate withdrawals, which mechanically fuels the demand for dismantling and recycling.
TARMAC Aerosave has an obvious head start but the competitive landscape is quickly becoming structured. The United States still dominates the market with a 53.6% share in 2024. China is investing massively, Airbus even launched its first global recycling center in Shanghai in January 2024. Players like Vallair or specialized airport entities are gaining strength. The sector, until now relatively confidential, now attracts capital and ambitions on a global scale.
The real question for the coming years is therefore not whether the market will grow (that is a given) but whether France will be able to defend this rare industrial leadership.
Some figures to finish on TARMARC Aerosave:
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Planes welcomed since creation | +1 470 |
| Airplanes returned to service | +1 000 |
| Dismantled planes | +360 |
| Engines dismantled | +190 |
| Material recovery rate | +90Â % |
| Simultaneous reception capacity | 280 planes / 120 engines |
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Sources :
TARMAC Aerosave, About us (consulté en avril 2026),
https://www.tarmacaerosave.aero/about-us
official page presenting the activities of TARMAC Aerosave, specializing in the storage, maintenance and recycling of aircraft, with an overview of its sites and its industrial capacities.
Aeromorning, Tarmac Aerosave has sent 1,000 aircraft into flight (June 20, 2023),
TARMAC AEROSAV RECEIVED 1000 AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT
article highlighting the industrial performance of TARMAC Aerosave, with the milestone of 1,000 aircraft returned to service after storage or maintenance.
Global Market Insights, Aircraft Recycling Market – Size, Share and Trends Analysis (November 2024),
https://www.gminsights.com/fr/industry-analysis/aircraft-recycling-market
analysis report on the aeronautical recycling market, detailing growth dynamics, materials recovery technologies and prospects linked to fleet renewal.
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