Air cargo operators are facing a potential shortage of new (to them) aircraft because they’re being scrapped for their engines long before they would normally be sold for freighter conversion. According to Air Cargo Weekly, airliners as young as six years old are going to recyclers because their engines are worth more than the whole aircraft. Most freighters begin life as airliners, and they typically are well worn by the time they’re retired. Virtually all are still airworthy when the last passenger deplanes, and there is a ready market for them for cargo conversions. Backlogs for new engines have tightened the supply of spares and that’s showing up in the engine lease market. “If two engines are worth more than the combined airplane, should we be surprised by six-year tear-downs? What’s next?” said analyst Courtney Miller of Visual Approach Analytics.
The shortage is particularly affecting cargo operators who use Boeing 737NGs, A321s, and Boeing 757s because the engines used on those types are in especially short supply. The publication said the early scrapping of airframes using those engines is cutting into the conversion inventory and cargo carriers are starting to worry about future supply.
Ah, glad to see that the big boys are suffering the same problem as little GA. When an engine rebuild is more than the air-frame. If only the big people in DC took the time to help local manufacturing and parts supply.
I’m kind of mystified by aircraft only six years old being disposed of by the airlines. I don’t know about the rest of you, but the airliners I’ve been on have been older than that.
Converting an airframe to a freighter has nothing to do with the engines. The conversion can be done while waiting on the engines to be overhauled/replaced.
Yes, now we have the dog eating it’s tail…