10+ 737 MAX & A320neo Jets Set For Teardown This Year As Parts Demand Soars

Published Sep 12, 2026, 12:47 AM EDT Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. A mix of Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are destined for teardown before the end of the year, as the demand for aircraft parts continues to rise. This will see a total of ten A320neo and MAX aircraft destined for dismantling, as Tarmac Aerosave continues to process aircraft for recycling for its long-term client AerFin. There continues to be strong demand for aircraft engines and parts, even with relatively new aircraft ending up in planes destined to be used for parts. Over the coming months and up until the end of the year, this has pushed Tarmac to dismantle ten more narrowbody jets. Ten Aircraft Grounded And Destined For Parts Credit: Alexandr Zimovskoy | Shutterstock Airbus A320neos previously belonging to Spirit Airlines have already been recycled, having only lasted three years in the sky. This saw the planes more highly valued for parts over the ongoing concern for an active aircraft. Tarmac Aerosave works closely with AerFin, who are the buyers, sellers and lessors of aircraft, and due to the ongoing needs of AerFin, it is working closely with Tarmac to ensure a pipeline of parts. The new dedicated line between AerFin and Tarmac will see specialist needs, including cabin and landing gear removal, and a special team that is in charge of priority and standard parts. This partnership is cemented for ten years and will see the two organisations working closely on projects. As suggested by EirTrade and reported by AeroTime, the current aviation market worldwide is believed to have more than 4,400 Airbus A320neos and 6,500 A320ceos in service, with more than 7,000 A320neos on order, ensuring an ongoing pipeline where parts will be needed. Next Generation Parts Remain Popular Credit: Thanhliemnguyen | Shutterstock Tarmac plans to disassemble ten next-generation aircraft on behalf of AerFin between now and the end of the year, as part of the expanded dismantling and recycling program between the two companies. This will cover many components that are necessary for AerFin's growing demand for serviceable material from newer aircraft. This partnership reflects the onging tradition of airlines toward newer-generation aircraft, and global fleets continuing to mature and the demand for replacement parts increasing. There are already additional dismantling projects planned for 2027 between AerFin and Tarmac as they deepen their ongoing collaboration. Tarmac Aerosave is headquartered in Tarbes, France, and its website claims it to be the number one aircraft storage and engine green recycling company. It has three major shareholders as listed below: Shareholder Shareholding (%) Airbus 33.6% Safran 32.8% Suez 33.6% What Exactly Is Aircraft Recycling? Credit: AstroVictor | Shutterstock Aircraft recycling is the process where airframes are disassembled from retired aircraft to recover valuable spare parts. These include even raw materials. The recycling process would start with decontamination, where workers drain hazardous fluids, such as jet fuel, oils, and hydraulic liquids, before high-value parts such as engines, landing gear, and flight electronics are removed, tested, and resold. Inside the plane, cabins are often stripped right back, and the seats are sold, insulation and wiring behind panels removed, and there will be separation of plastics, fabrics, and copper. When the frame itself is no longer required, heavy machinery will dissect the metal structure and cut down the mostly aluminum and titanium parts into small segments. Metal fragments will be sorted, eventually melted down in furnaces, and recast into raw ingots for manufacturing. Overall, up to 90% of an aircraft's total weight is possible to be recovered and recycled, dramatically reducing environmental waste. This supports the supply chain by providing recycled metal and secondhand parts being sold at lower than brand-new production costs, providing a cost-effective secondhand option for the aerospace and automotive industries. The ten A320neo and 737 MAX, destined for parts, show the ongoing demand for second-hand aircraft parts as the supply chain continues to be put to the test for parts. These aircraft, albeit young, highlight that all aircraft have an expiry date, and some are earlier than others.