Parting out aircraft that are not even ten years old: it seems insane and beyond any logic, but it is happening more and more. The latest airline to join this trend is SWISS, which will tear down two Airbus A220-100s for spares. What is behind this decision? We asked the airline.
To confirm: SWISS is not the first to part out young aircraft. EirTrade Aviation Partners said in February that it would part out two former Spirit Airlines A320neos that were only 3,5 and 4 years old to support aircraft on ground. In November, the company took possession of two six-year-old former IndiGo A320neos. In both cases, the individual parts – especially the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofans – were more valuable than the entire airframe. It is the same for some Emirates A380s.
When SWISS did its calculations, it came to the same conclusion. The airline has operated nine A220-100s and 21 A220-300s, all ordered at the 2008 Farnborough Airshow by launch customer and parent Lufthansa Group when the aircraft was still known as the Bombardier CSeries. The first A220-100 was delivered in 2016 and entered service just after that year’s Farnborough Airshow.
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