Inside Europe's Biggest Airplane Graveyard

What is happening inside Europe’s largest aircraft storage site? I visited Teruel, Spain to find out more from Tarmac Aerosave.

During the peak of the Pandemic, there were about over 150 widebodies stored in Teruel making it the largest aircraft storage site in Europe. Most of them are A340, A380, Boeing 747 and B777 wide-body aircraft.

As travel demand returned, there was a shortage of airplane flying. More and more airplanes are leaving the storage and flying back in the sky for a second life! Staff from Tarmac Aerosave showed me how to re-activate an Airbus A380. After completing 5,000 hours of check and maintenance, the Etihad Airways A380 is ready to leave storage and return to service.

Next, I visited an A330 with components and parts removed from the airplane. The airplane is being recycled. The Tarmac team showed me how they remove parts and document it before sending it to the owner. Up to 94% of the airplane can be recycled within 12 weeks. It is interesting to see an array of activities in Europe’s biggest aircraft storage site.