Asia’s first large-scale aircraft recycling facility, China Aircraft Recycling Remanufacturing Base, owned by Aircraft Recycling International (ARI), has formally commenced operations.
The base is equipped with modern facilities and devices that utilize advanced technology, says ARI. These consist of various systems for aircraft maintenance, conversion, dissembling, installation of aircraft parts, as well as aircraft materials management and sales. The base covers seven areas of business operation, including aircraft purchasing, selling, leasing, dissembling, replacing, conversion and maintenance, providing dynamic aircraft recycling solutions to airlines, MROs, lessors, as well as manufacturers and distributors of aircraft materials.
China Aircraft Recycling Remanufacturing Base is located on the south side of China’s Harbin Taiping International Airport. It has a gross floor area of 300,000 sqm. With the construction of Phase I completed, the base has had an effective handling capacity of 20 aircraft per year. It has China’s largest bonded warehouse for aircraft parts. Its hangar can hold three narrowbody aircraft simultaneously or one widebody aircraft and one narrowbody aircraft together.
When an aircraft enters the base, it is placed under visualised management throughout all procedures, including dissembling, maintenance and recycling, free from hazards. The base adopts optimised techniques to minimise energy consumption and execute the recycle and reuse of aircraft materials and parts to participate in the green recycling economy with added value. The base will also improve the development of various industries in China, including aviation materials’ recycling and reuse, and aircraft parts maintenance.
“As there are yet no comprehensive aircraft recycling and remanufacturing systems in China, aging aircraft are usually dissembled and disposed of by companies in Europe and the Americas, involving high costs and long waiting times,” says LI Yuze, General Manager of China Aircraft Disassembly Centre. “More and more civil aircraft in China are set to retire soon, offering extended market opportunities to the emerging aircraft recycling and remanufacturing industry. With our high standards and stringent technology requirements, the Base is set to become China’s leading platform of aging aircraft solutions with business presence in Greater China and Asia as a whole. We strive to maximise the value of used aircraft for our clients and set up a new growth pillar for the aviation industry chain.”
ARI and its US subsidiary, Universal Asset Management (UAM), have integrated the aircraft and engine leasing platform with the aviation investment and financing platforms established by ARI, which will work together to construct the aging aircraft solution platform launched today.
Putting in place this comprehensive aging aircraft solutions, CALC and ARI can optimise aircraft asset allocation and maximise their overall economic benefits.
“The Base is part of CALC’s major initiative to develop into a full value-chain aircraft solutions provider for the global aviation industry,” says Chen Shuang, JP, chairman of CALC. “Over the years, CALC has built an efficient capability for aircraft asset management, close partnerships with its aviation partners, and flexible and diversified financing resources. ARI’s swift and steady development in aging aircraft value chain will further enhance CALC’s diversified asset management capability, maximizing value for our aviation partners.”
“Given the surging demand for aging aircraft management in the global aviation market, ARI will efficiently increase the residual value of aging aircraft by providing holistic solutions and completing a full value chain in each stage for aircraft, contributing to the global aviation industry’s sustainable development,” added Mike Poon, chief executive officer of ARI.
Currently, ARI’s aircraft recycling base has been granted the Maintenance Certificate in compliance with CCAR-145-R3 required by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The base has been certified by the Civil Aviation Maintenance Association of China as a qualified Civil Aircraft Parts Distributor and obtained the Approval Certificate of Foreign-Funded Enterprises of the People’s Republic of China issued by the PRC Ministry of Commerce.
Image: Mr. Du Yuxin, Deputy Director of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee of National CPPCC (5th from right); Mr. Hao Huilong, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Provincial Committee (4th from left); Mr. Liu Yang, Deputy Mayor of Harbin (2nd from left); Dr. Cai Yunge, Deputy General Manager of China Everbright Group Ltd.; Vice Chairman and General Manager of China Everbright Holdings Company Limited; Chairman of China Everbright Limited (4th from right); Mr. Cheng Fubo, Vice President of COMAC (3rd from left); Mr. Chen Shuang, JP, Executive Director and CEO of China Everbright Limited, Chairman of CALC and ARI (2nd from right); Mr. Tim Mahoney, President and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace (5th from left); Mr. George Xu, CEO of Airbus China (3rd from right); Mr. Mike Poon, Executive Director and CEO of CALC and Chief Executive Officer of ARI (1st from left); and Mr. Li Yuze, General Manager of CADC (1st from right)