Gallery: Aftermarket Pushes For Sustainability Progress

HAECO partnered with Gansu QingSuo Philanthropy Development Center in China to develop a 47,000 m² (506,000 ft.²) tree plantation in Ming-qin County of China’s Gansu Province aimed at fighting desertification. The company’s HAECO Engine Services Xiamen subsidiary donated 5,000 drought-resistant sacsaoul trees that will act as an ecological barrier against desertification.

Aviation and air cargo logistics provider Challenge Group is increasing its focus on recycled spare parts. Eyjolfur Vestmann Ingolfsson, Challenge Group’s newly appointed head of materials and logistics, says the company is looking to procure recycled parts at every opportunity as it considers strategic opportunities in the aftermarket for this segment, which it values at $2.2 billion.

Austrian Airlines will equip four of its Boeing 777-200ERs with Lufthansa Technik’s friction-reducing AeroSHARK surface film. Lufthansa Technik says the film improves fuel consumption by around 1% and can save Austrian 2,650 metric tons of fuels and over 8,300 metric tons of CO₂ over the next four years. The modifications will start in December and are expected to be completed by March 2025.

Skyservice Business Aviation has launched an aircraft teardown and recycling business model that recently became accredited by the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association. The company, which offers MRO, aircraft management, private jet charter services, aircraft sales and acquisition, says it will use cutting-edge technologies to maximize overhaul and recycling of aircraft components.

Lufthansa Technik is collecting and refurbishing its GuideU non-electrical floor path marking systems in efforts to extend product life-cycles and reduce waste. Meanwhile, STG Aerospace is using a bioadditive in its saf-Tglo eco E1 non-electrical floor path marking products that enable the components to biodegrade in landfills.

GA Telesis Engine Services recently announced it will begin using sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) at its engine testing operation in Finland. The company will begin testing engines using SAF supplied by Neste for launch customer DHL Express, which has been using SAF in its operations for some time and aims to have SAF meet 30% of its fleet’s fuel needs by 2030.

Fokker Services Americas has transitioned its LaGrange, Georgia facility to 100% solar energy use. “We’ve got about 2,300 solar panels on the roof and on these carports,” says Craig Winter, president and managing director for Fokker Services Americas. “On a net basis, that powers all of our needs for heavy compressors, our industrialized machinery and it gives us some surplus that we sell back to the grid.”

A new aviation industry consortium has been launched in Singapore to accelerate the use of recyclable materials. Comprised of six aviation companies in the Asia-Pacific and Americas regions, the Aviation Circularity Consortium plans to work with OEMs and regulators to develop a road map for certification of reclaimed materials that could be used in aviation products and other critical industries. The consortium is encouraging more stakeholders to joint the organization.

Europe’s GENEX project is leveraging digital twin technology to manage aircraft composite structure life-cycles and improve sustainability practices in the aftermarket. The project, launched in 2022 and running until early 2026, aims to improve repairability of composite parts. It is using a composite material that meets aviation industry requirements while being fully recyclable.

MTU Maintenance says it became the first global MRO facility to carry out a test run on the IAE V2500 engine using 100% SAF in March. The test, carried out at MTU’s Hanover, Germany facility, used SAF supplied by Neste made from various waste oils and fats. Kim Kinsley, president at IAE and Pratt & Whitney’s vice president of mature commercial engines, says IAE expects most of its shops will be prepared to use SAF in their operations in the next few years.

Aircraft manufacturer ATR and Tarmac Aerosave are planning to recycle 12 ATR aircraft through the end of this year. The collaboration, which began last year, has gradually improved the percentage of reused or recycled parts and materials from 85% in 2023 to 85.5% in early 2024. The companies are also working to identify new recycling processes and increase the number of recyclable parts in the future. 

The Airbus Lifecycle Services Center in Chengdu, China opened at the beginning of 2024. The facility is a joint venture between the aircraft OEM and Tarmac Aerosave, offering aircraft storage, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, dismantling and recycling services. Airbus subsidiary Satair is distributing used parts harvested from the facility’s recycling operations. The center expects to increase its workforce to 300 employees by 2030.