EirTrade Aviation Announces Disassembly of Two Boeing 787s
EirTrade Aviation, an Irish asset management company, has recently announced that it will be dismantling two Boeing 787-8 aircrafts for spare parts. The process will take place at PIK, Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland with parts available in late March 2023.
Each aircraft is 10 years old and is approaching it's 12-year check, so Ken Fitzgibbon, CEO of EirTrade Aviation, has said the disassembly "has come at the perfect time", as 787 owners will be looking to upkeep the aircraft and will need parts to be able to do so. Since no 787s have ever been retired from commercial service, there is no current used serviceable material (USM) market for this platform. However, Fitzgibbon hopes to become a market leader in the provision of the USM as they are entering into a specialist area, as seen in Aviation Week. In addition, the company's CEO hopes that this provision will allow for reduced cost of maintenance events for 787 aircraft owners.
In the three-month long process, Steven Trowell will be in charge of coordination. As noted in Key.Aero, he has predicted a few challenges to come for the disassembly - such as the facility it will take place in. Trowell has that that if the disassembly was "taking place at our own facility in Knock, it would have afforded us a greater degree of flexibility in terms of manpower, tooling, and logistics." However, the choice for the job to get done at PIK will minimize any potential disruption to the schedule.
Post-disassembly, the spare parts will be stored at one of EirTrade Aviation's facilities in Ireland and managed by the Irish firm. All inventory will be available to be sold, leased, or exchanged by the end of Q1 2023.
As a leader in technical asset services and trading, the company offers "a comprehensive range of aircraft and engine end-of-life services, including disassembly, parts storage and trading, as well as technical storage and services", according to Aviation Week. EirTrade only hopes that this decision will allow them to break into a new level of leadership within the industry.
References:
https://www.key.aero/article/first-boeing-787s-be-retired-and-stripped-spares
https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/aircraft-propulsion/first-pair-boeing-787s-be-dismantled