The Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) is an international

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

association Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

that brings together manufacturers, recycling companies, and aviation tech companies across the

aircraft industry An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

. Its aim is to promote environmental

best practice A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to other known alternatives because it often produces results that are superior to those achieved by other means or because it has become a standard way of doing ...

, regulatory excellence and sustainable development in aircraft disassembly, and the salvaging and recycling of aircraft parts and materials.

Aircraft recycling Aircraft recycling is the process of scrapping and disassembling retired aircraft, and re-purposing their parts as spare parts or scrap. Airplanes are made of around 800 to 1000 parts that can be recycled, with the majority of them made from meta ...

is a major problem, with many companies addressing it through individual environmental programmes. AFRA aims to provide an international perspective, advising aviation industry stakeholders on the legal, regulatory and technical issues of aircraft recycling and promoting greater cooperation among governments and industries.

Market

Of the 400 to 450 aircraft scrapped and disassembled globally each year, around one third are parted out and disassembled by AFRA members, producing each year more than 30,000 tons of

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

and 1,800 tons of other specialty alloy metals (that include

titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...

and more) for recycling. In 2009, AFRA members dismantled more than 9,000 aircraft — 7,000 commercial and 2,000 military. AFRA believe more value can be extracted from end-of-life activity.

History

AFRA was founded in 2005, when 11 companies from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

agreed to join forces to develop an industry code of conduct and industry-developed recommended best practice in the areas of aircraft dismantling and materials recycling. The group's aim was to drive and motivate industry toward solutions for the safe and environmentally responsible way of managing end-of-life aircraft. The original 11 members were Air Salvage International, Adherent Technologies, Bartin Group,

The Boeing Company The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

, Chateauroux Air Centre, Europe Aviation, Huron Valley Fritz, Milled Carbon,

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

and WINGNet.

Membership

AFRA members are global leaders in the management of aging aircraft fleets. They include

Original Equipment Manufacturers An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

(OEMs), aircraft disassemblers, parts distributors, aircraft insurers and appraisers, materials recyclers and technology developers. Within its ranks, AFRA also counts technology companies, and retains strong links with the academic community in relation to researching and developing innovative recycling technologies. AFRA has grown from its founding 11 members to now encompass 40 members from 10 countries.

Mission

The organisation's mission is the sustainable management of end-of-life airframes and engines. AFRA promotes and publishes the collective experience of its members to improve best practice in the management of end-of-life aircraft. AFRA also encourages greater collaboration between organisations and companies that have a track record in the environmentally responsible management of end-of-life aircraft. AFRA develops partnerships and industry collaborations to create and enhance innovative technologies meant to improve environmentally sustainable practices in managing end-of-life aircraft. The organisation is also developing technology that they believe can increase the economic value of aircraft assets. The safe handling and disposal of materials that cannot be recycled is a key priority of AFRA, as well as returning reclaimed metals and composite materials back into commercial and aircraft manufacturing. AFRA members ultimately target a 95% recyclability rate.

Accreditation

AFRA accreditation is meant to inform the aviation industry, customers and potential customers that best management practice and environmental responsibility is at the heart of a company’s processes and practices. Since its foundation, 12 AFRA members have achieved AFRA accreditation: Aircraft End-of-Life Solutions (AELS), Air Salvage International, Bonus Tech, Europe Aviation, Evergreen Trade, Orange Aero, P3 Aviation, Southern California Aviation and Volvo Aero Services. A number of other organisations are currently in the process of being accredited. AFRA members increasingly report on the economic added value of AFRA accreditation, with asset owners actively seeking out AFRA accredited members for contracts.

Best Management Practice

The AFRA Best Management Practice (BMP) Guides offer detailed direction on best environmental practices and technological solutions for the disassembling of aircraft airframes and engines. The AFRA BMP guide is an up-to-date collection of recommendations concerning best practices for the management of parts removed from aircraft during disassembly. The BMP Guide, now in its version 2.0, enhances safety developments throughout the supply chain by encouraging aircraft disassemblers or asset owners to proactively discover whether an aircraft or aircraft part has been involved in an airworthiness event involving unusual heat, stress or abnormal environmental conditions. Version 1.0 of the BMP Guide was published in 2008, and has become a reference document for those involved in airframe dismantling and recycling. Version 2.0 of the BMP Guide, published in 2009, has an additional focus on engine dismantling. It offers up-to-date recommendations on best practices for the management of engine parts removed from aircraft during disassembly. AFRA’s Best Management Practice Guide Version 2.0 also gives a new and clear definition of an ‘airworthiness event’, setting out the circumstances under which the industry feels it is appropriate to convey information about the history of parts.

References

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External links

Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association

Enviro.aero

International Air Transport Association (IATA)
Recycling industry Aircraft recycling