Where Do Retired Aircraft Go? The Desert.

Airlines will be sending some 1,700 aircraft to aircraft “boneyards” this year as many carriers seek to cut capacity even further as demand stays low. United Airlines will be getting rid of all 94 Boeing 737s by the end of the this year, and Northwest / Delta will axe their DC-9 fleet by a third. The number of aircraft stored has jumped about 30% in the past year to roughly 2,300 aircraft. Where do all of these planes go? Southern California (Mojave), New Mexico, and Arizona, some of the driest parts of the United States.

Every time I fly into Phoenix and take the drive down to Tucson, I pass Marana; Arizona’s hub for old airplanes that no airline wants anymore. It’s a sad place for airline enthusiasts – so many once-great airplanes sitting there with parts and pieces of their body missing. Not all the aircraft are scrapped. About 15 planes-a-year are scrapped at Marana. The other 200 and some aircraft are there for storage.

Although some of the aircraft may look like they’re done, many are still maintained and checked regularly to ensure that they’re ready for service. At Marana, it only costs about $60,000 a year to store a 747 at the airport. Smaller jets are about half of that price. Some once-flown planes await to see the skies once more.

As banks fail and the credit market tumbles, it has been more difficult for airlines to muster up the funds that they need to pay for aircraft, leaving them the few options for canceling or deferring orders. Many airlines have already deferred / canceled orders with major manufacturers. However canceling an order loses an airline most of the massive down-payment put on the aircraft – most are deferring. When there isn’t the money to buy / lease a plane to satisfy the demand, some airlines bring back stored birds from places like Marana.

The boneyards across the southwest U.S. are simply taking care of aircraft for the time being. Some of them may enter back into service, but don’t expect to see many non-fuel efficient  aircraft making their way back in.