Aircraft graveyards play a key role at the end of an aircraft’s lifecycle. However, the onset of COVID-19 has thrown a spanner in the works as airframes are retired in record numbers, while new-built airliners are flown into storage. We join Sebastian Thoma as he provides a fascinating snapshot of Spain’s Teruel Airport
Since my first trip to a Californian aircraft graveyard back in 2015, visiting such sites has become really special to me and I’ve enjoyed an annual pilgrimage to the western US ever since. With plans to publish a book on aircraft scrapyards by April next year – and the travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus – I have turned my attention to those that exist in Europe.
Two of the largest, and perhaps most well-known, are Teruel in Spain and Tarbes-Lourdes, France. The storage and scrapping of aircraft at both airfields are handled by MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) company, TARMAC Aerosave – which has a trio of shareholders including Airbus.
Because of COVID-19, such facilities have been completely filled to the brim with airliners on a scale never before seen. Therefore, my aim is to provide spectacular images of such large airfields. Most of the time, a top-down position…
