Aircraft parts supplier Unical Aviation has acquired “a fleet” of used Airbus A320neos that it intends to disassemble and sell for parts, a plan it says marks the “first dedicated disassembly programme for the [A320]neo-family aircraft”.
Unical intends to start acquiring the jets this month, it said on 1 April.
“As the first to launch a disassembly effort on A320neo aircraft, Unical is staying ahead of the curve to meet the evolving needs of our airline and MRO customers,” says Unical executive vice-president of assets David Dicken.
“These assets will soon be transformed into high-demand material to support operators worldwide with cost-effective, timely aftermarket solutions.”
Unical, based in Glendale, Arizona, says it has acquired a “double-digit quantity” of A320neos and that it expects to receive them over two years. It declines to confirm from where the aircraft are coming.
But a photograph released by the company shows a stored Airbus jet that appears to be painted in the colours of defunct Indian airline Go First, formerly called Go Air. That carrier entered bankruptcy protection and ceased operations in 2023.
Go First blamed its troubles largely on maintenance problems with Pratt & Whitney PW1100G turbofans. It said unscheduled maintenance and poor engine durability forced it to remove hundreds of PW1100Gs from service and to ground many of its A320neo-family jets.
The oldest of the A320neos that Go First had operated were delivered by Airbus about 10 years ago, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
It says an affiliate called Ecube, which is part of Unical Group, will perform the work of disassembling the jets. Ecube has aircraft disassembly sites in Coolidge (Arizona), Spain and Wales.
“Demand for quality, serviceable material is growing rapidly,” the firm says. “Unical is accelerating the availability of next-gen components to the market and helping reduce turnaround times for critical maintenance.”
Mike Stengel, partner with consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory, calls acquiring A320neos for parts “a little surprising” considering the age of the jets and that A320neos are in high demand globally due to constrained production of new aircraft.
However, acquiring them for parts could be economically practical if, for instance, the aircraft lacked engines and would likely remain engine-less for an extended period due to PW1100G shortages, Stengel adds.
Story updated on 3 April to include more details from Unical about the number of aircraft to be acquired, and when, and to include comments from AeroDynamic’s Mike Stengel.
