The French-based aircraft MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) specialist firm TARMAC Aerosave has announced that it has acquired three further Airbus A380s that it intends to part out for spares. The move comes as the global A380 fleet continues to grow as more airframes are returned to service following the pandemic.
While TARMAC Aerosave has been integral in returning several other A380s commercial airline services in the past couple of years, the three aircraft involved in this transaction will be stripped of their useful parts, before the remainder of the airframe is eventually scrapped or recycled. TARMAC Aerosave has returned 29 A380s to commercial airline customers between 2023 and 2024.
TARMAC Aerosave has signed a contract with a German asset management company EastMerchant Capital GmbH to acquire the three aircraft. Each A380 will be dismantled and recycled at TARMAC’s facility at Tarbes–Lourdes–Airport (LDE) in Southwest France “over the coming months” and their parts will enter the spare parts supply chain to keep other A380s flying worldwide. It is understood that the three A380s in question are already in long-term storage at LDE so no ferry flights will be needed before work can begin.
EastMerchant Capital’s technical partner under the agreement with TARMAC Aerosave is AMS Aircraft Services based close to London Gatwick Airport (LGW). Also involved is USM (used serviceable materials) supplier Skyline Aero which will offer its expertise in advising on which parts will be most useful in the used parts aftermarket.
The program is being underwritten by the growing demand for A380 parts from the airlines that continue to fly the largest of the Airbus passenger jets. This demand has been identified by EastMerchant, which specializes in developing creative end-of-life solutions and strategies for investors and airline clients with their widebody aircraft fleets.
Alexandre Brun, CEO of TARMAC Aerosave, stated: “We are thrilled to continue working on such an iconic aircraft and contribute to extending the life of the rest of the flying fleet while recycling what needs to be at the best of our knowledge.”
“Preparing this project with TARMAC Aerosave and benefiting from their experience on the A380 were comforting elements to move forward and seize the opportunity to buy these aircraft,” said Baldur Vander, Managing Director of EastMerchant. TARMAC Aerosave’s commitment to sustainable recycling also played a significant role in our decision,” he added.
“Our teams are excited to be working with TARMAC Aerosave on these projects; their ability to remove parts quickly was a key factor to ensure we fulfill current market demands,” said Bradley Gregory, CEO of Skyline, a party to the transaction. “This addition of this inventory allows us to strengthen our long-term commitment to A380 operators globally.”
TARMAC Aerosave was first established in Tarbes in 2007 and is a joint venture between Airbus, Suez, and Safran. In its 17-year history, the company has re-delivered approximately 1,200 aircraft and has dismantled a further 400 airframes and 230 engines. The company has a second facility located in Teruel Airport (TEV) in Spain where it opened an additional hangar capable of handling Airbus A380 aircraft earlier in 2024. The new $15 million facility has been described by the firm as “the largest metal-textile hangar in the world capable of accommodating one widebody or four narrowbodies.”
The business also operates from a third location in Toulouse, Southwest France. In all, across the three sites, the organization is capable of storing over 280 aircraft and performing maintenance on Airbus, Boeing, and ATR aircraft, according to a company statement.