WASHINGTON, DC – In a notable collaboration project, the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) recently joined with Boeing and an AFRA-accredited airplane demolition company to disassemble and recycle the Boeing ecoDemonstrator 757 airliner using environmentally responsible best practices.
Following the 757’s demolition, less than 10 percent of the airplane’s total weight – filling just a single 15-yard dumpster – was labeled as waste or sent to a landfill.
The recycling event followed several months of flight tests by Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator 757 to test technologies that could improve aviation’s environmental performance by reducing fuel use and emissions. At the conclusion of the ecoDemonstrator flight tests, Boeing partnered with AFRA and the aircraft owner, the lessor Stifel, to recycle the 757 using AFRA’s environmental best practices.
The AFRA-accredited company Aircraft Demolition, LLC, was selected by Stifel to conduct the airplane’s disassembly and materials recycling at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington. “This joint project was a great way to showcase the AFRA “Best Practices Manual” on how to perform a proper end-of-life program of an airliner,” said Tim Zemanovic, Chief Executive Officer of Aircraft Demolition, LLC and its sister company, Jet Yard, LLC.
“The ecoDemonstrator disassembly was a powerful opportunity for AFRA to showcase the approved and accredited maintenance process for the removal of reusable parts; proper handling, packaging and preservation of spare parts; and the documentation to support traceability,” said Reed Hitchcock, Executive Director of AFRA.
Certified maintenance technicians with Aircraft Demolition spent more than a month in Moses Lake, Washington preparing for the teardown and disassembly of the 30-year-old Boeing 757. All recycling processes followed the AFRA Best Practices Manual and was concluded in under 30 days.
Aircraft Demolition developed a part “harvest list” to maximize the revenue of any used parts sales. Following AFRA’s best-practices guidelines, each part removed was given a job card that included the Maintenance Manual (MM) and Illustrated Parts Catalog (IPC) reference. This extra step enhances the removal process and allows future tracking of parts in the aftermarket.
More than 1,100 parts from the Boeing 757-200, which was built in 1990, were harvested for reuse in the aftermarket for aviation parts. Additionally, some fuselage sections were removed for engineering, testing and other purposes.
For Boeing, the collaboration with AFRA, Stifel and Aircraft Demolition to recycle the ecoDemonstrator 757 was an opportunity to learn about end-of-service recycling. “Watching the recycling of this airplane provided insights into the potential to design and build the airplane with disassembly and recycling in mind,” said Jeanne Yu, Boeing Commercial Airplanes director of Environmental Performance. “Our goal is to continue to reduce the amount of material from retired aircraft that will be sent to landfills in the future.”
AFRA continues to build awareness of its mission as the leading global industry association dedicated to pursuing and promoting environmental best practices and sustainable development in aircraft disassembly, as well as salvaging and recycling of aircraft parts and materials. “Our recycling process guarantees that scrap is mutilated to ensure it does not find its way back into the aircraft aftermarket,” Hitchcock said.
“AFRA’s mission at the core is ‘going green.’ The process is rooted in making sure the industry is as thorough as possible capturing all the fluids, waste, and the segregation and recycling of all metals to safeguard the environment,” said Zemanovic. “As we dismantled the ecoDemonstrator 757, all environmental safety protocols were followed and items were recycled to their highest and best use or value.”
About the AFRA Accreditation Program
AFRA has published the only industry-developed Best Management Practices (BMP) guidebook for both aircraft disassembly and aircraft recycling. AFRA accredited companies pass rigorous audits to ensure compliance with the BMP.
Kingman Airline Services, Inc. (KASI) became a member of AFRA in spring 2015. This Kingman, Arizona based MRO facility has more than 250 aircraft in various stages of storage and recycling. As new members, KASI is currently in the process of planning for the AFRA Accreditation Program audit.
“We’ve been watching the industry progress AFRA has made over the last few years and have made the corporate decision to support and align with the AFRA process,” said Kim Mercier, Director of Quality for KASI. “We agree a standard benchmarking protocol is better for the industry. Our customers recognize the accreditation as the expectation of doing the right thing.”
About Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association
Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) is recognized as the leading global industry association dedicated to pursuing and promoting environmental best practice, regulatory excellence and sustainable development in aircraft disassemble, as well as the salvaging and recycling of aircraft parts and materials (www.AFRAassociation.org).
About Aircraft Demolition
Aircraft Demolition is a Women-Owned Small Business that provides complete, partout and disassembly services, as well as demolition and recycling for aging aircraft and engines. Aircraft Demolition provides 24/7 on-site disassembly and recycling operations worldwide.
Aircraft Demolition is the first dual accredited organization by AFRA, with accreditations in both disassembly of aircraft and recycling of aircraft materials (www.AircraftDemolition.com).
