Preparations have been made to scrap two Airbus A380s and a Boeing 777 in Singapore. The aircraft were recently moved from Singapore Changi Airport to the nearby Changi Exhibition Center, where they will be scrapped. Singapore Airlines hopes to recycle and upcycle many of the parts from all three aircraft.
Around a year ago, Singapore Airlines revealed that it would be cutting several Airbus A380 aircraft from its fleet, bringing down the remaining fleet to just 12 aircraft. Some of the previously retired jets had been scrapped in France. Now, Singapore Airlines is beginning the disposal of its largest aircraft in-house.
Two months to scrap the jets
According to Singapore Airlines, it will now take around two months to part out the aircraft. The airline's maintenance department will now work to dismantle all three aircraft. SIA will be doing several things with the parts that it takes off of the plane.
Firstly, some reusable elements such as landing gear and engines will be salvaged alongside internal components, which could be used as spare parts on the airline's remaining A380 fleet. This will allow the airline to save money in the future should a spare part be needed. After all, why bin a landing gear and then buy a new one when you could reuse a perfectly good one?
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Secondly, aircraft parts will be put towards the Singapore Airlines Upcycling Project launched earlier this year. Upcycling is when a used part is turned into something of a higher value. Examples of this could be tin cans that are turned into airplane models or when aircraft fuselage is turned into key tags.
Speaking with Simple Flying, a Singapore Airlines spokesperson commented,
"Usable parts from the A380s that are parted out will be retained as spare parts to maintain SIA’s operating A380 fleet. Suitable aircraft parts and materials, such as parts of the aircraft fuselage (including skin), cabin windows, overhead compartments, aircraft seats, life vests, soft furnishings and linens, and galley equipment such as carts and racks, will be repurposed for The Upcycling Project's Initiatives."
Which planes are being scrapped?
As mentioned, Singapore Airlines is scrapping a total of three aircraft at the Changi Exhibition Center. The two standout aircraft are the mighty Airbus A380s. 9V-SKG and 9V-SKH are being parted out. According to ch-aviation.com, the two jets are aged around 13 years. Singapore Airlines scrapped its first A380s after just a decade of service.
The other aircraft being scrapped for parts is a Boeing 777. The 777 is quite a bit older than its quadjet sisters. 9V-SQJ first flew on May 30th, 2002, making it around 19.5 years old. With 391 economy seats and 24 premium economy seats, the aircraft was primarily used for shorter flights and is listed with a value of $8.71 million. Singapore Airlines will soon use its A380s for short-haul flights to train crew ahead of the giant's return.
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