TARMAC Aerosave returns 1000th aircraft to service

TARMAC Aerosave, the aircraft transition centre specialising in aircraft storage, maintenance and recycling, has just returned its 1,000th aircraft to service. Exhibiting at Paris Air Show, the rising French group is expanding its three European sites and recruiting one hundred mechanics and technicians in 2023.

1,000 redeliveries out of 1,500 aircraft handled

TARMAC Aerosave, the world's reference transition centre for managing the entire aircraft lifecycle, has just returned to service its 1,000th aircraft, having received 1,500 since 2007.  

The company's historic recycling business has rapidly evolved into a comprehensive range of services, from storage for any length of time to transition and maintenance. 

Out of the aircraft stored at the Tarbes, Teruel and Toulouse sites, 85% are reactivated going through operations known as "Return to Service" (RTS).

Strong demand for return to service for all aircraft types

As air transport demand was picking up again in 2021/2022, requests for re-deliveries initially concerned regional and medium-haul aircraft. At the same time, new arrivals' rate started to go back to normal trend for global fleet management, in terms of downtime for maintenance or transition.

Since the end of 2022, the rate of returns to service has been particularly brisk and now includes all aircraft type, including wide-body aircraft. For example, TARMAC Aerosave, has released eight Airbus A380s since 2022 and is preparing to reactivate five more by the end of the year. By the end of 2023, thirteen A380s will have been returned to service, and nine recycled to support the operated fleet in terms of spare parts. Airbus A340s, Airbus A330s, Boeing 747s and Boeing 777s are following the same trend, returning to airlines' fleet after being stored for long periods, thus maintaining flight conditions.

Attention - Hiring 100 mechanics in 2023

Alexandre Brun, Chairman of TARMAC Aerosave, commented: “Tarmac Aerosave must rise to the challenge of growth and the recovery of the aviation sector. The increase in requests for transition (cabin modifications and reconfigurations), re-commissioning and the expansion of our sites mean that we will need to increase our workforce from 500 to 600 in 2023," 

With the pace of maintenance work, as well as storage, transition and redelivery, rapidly speeding up, the workforce at all three sites in France and Spain needs to grow too. After welcoming more than 90 new employees in 2022, TARMAC Aerosave is continuing its recruitment campaign. A total of 100 positions for mechanics, technicians and logisticians needs to be filled in 2023.

Header image by © Bernard HENNEQUIN / armée de l’Air et de l’Espace