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Global Aircraft Retirement Trend
Estimated growth of retired aircraft in storage facilities over the next decade.
Primary Sources
See Inside One of the World's Largest Aircraft 'Graveyards' in Arizona ...
Pinal Air Park. Christian Petersen/Getty Images 2026-05-05T12:44:02.422Z Pinal Air Park in Arizona is one of the largest aircraft storage facilities in the world. The multimillion-dollar business boomed during the pandemic as airlines grounded hundreds of jets. The airpark is also a hub for maintenance and reconfiguring jets when they get a new operator. There are approximately 8,000 "end-of-life retired aircraft" sitting in deserts, jungles, and storage yards across the globe. Another 11,000 planes are expected to join them over the next 10 years.These "graveyards" started filling up during the COVID-19 pandemic when airlines had to make drastic cost-cutting changes, including furloughing pilots, cutting routes, and indefinitely storing hundreds of planes in the desert.According to the Aviation Circularity Consortium, which was created in 2024, these thousands of decommissioned aircraft offer "a new source of valuable circular materials" and address the "significant waste pollution challenges to the shrinking legal boneyards around the world." In other words, airlines can disassemble these old planes for parts to support more sustainable maintenance.Some Spirit Airlines aircraft could end up at facilities like this for reconfiguration or disassembly after the budget carrier ceased operations on Saturday.One of these plane "graveyards" is Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona, which Business Insider visited in April 2023. Take a look inside. Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona, is located about 90 miles southeast of Phoenix. A retired aircraft at Pinal Air Park. Christian Petersen/Getty Images The dry climate is favorable for preventing corrosion. An aircraft at the Pinal Air Park in Arizona. Taylor Rains/Business Insider As airlines started to shrink in 2020, hundreds of planes from all over the world flew to the 2,080-acre airpark. Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona. Ramon Purcell/Boneyard Safari With the influx, Pinal had to take special precautions to ensure the aircraft was ready to fly once travel eventually rebounded. Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona. Taylor Rains/Business Insider Because of this, Ascent Aviation Services — the largest aircraft service provider on the airfield — had to beef up its staff to maintain the constant arrivals. A maintenance hangar at Pinal Airpark in Arizona. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Additional parking lots were built to handle the hundreds of planes, with jets coming from places like the US, South Kore...
Happy Halloween - Aircraft Graveyards
From scorching desert sands to humid tropical climates, aircraft graveyards dot the globe, each telling its own haunting tale of aviation history. This Halloween, we’re taking you on a worldwide journey to explore these fascinating facilities where aircraft come to their final rest – or sometimes, await their resurrection. Each location below can be explored via Google Maps satellite view. Click on our interactive links to virtually wander these massive facilities and appreciate their true scale. Zoom in to spot different aircraft types and storage patterns. The Giant of Aircraft Storage: Davis-Monthan AFB Known simply as “The Boneyard,” Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, reigns as the world’s largest aircraft storage facility. Spanning 2,600 acres of desert terrain, this massive facility hosts over 4,000 aircraft in various states of preservation. The arid climate serves as nature’s preservative, keeping these aluminum giants safe from corrosion as they await their ultimate fate. Check out this cool video for a tour. ATTENTION: Embedded Video Playback Unavailable - Due to your current cookie preferences, videos embedded on this page cannot be displayed. We respect your decision to control your personal data. You have the option to adjust your cookie preferences. Please accept preferences, statistics, marketing cookies to watch this video. Mojave: Where Space Dreams Rest The Mojave Air and Space Port tells a different story. Once a hub of aerospace innovation and testing, sections of this legendary facility now house retired commercial aircraft. From massive Boeing 747s to experimental prototypes, these silent sentinels stand watch over the California desert, their stories etched in desert-weathered fuselages. ATTENTION: Embedded Video Playback Unavailable - Due to your current cookie preferences, videos embedded on this page cannot be displayed. We respect your decision to control your personal data. You have the option to adjust your cookie preferences. Please accept preferences, statistics, marketing cookies to watch this video. The Pandemic’s Parking Lot: Southern California Logistics Airport When the world stopped in 2020, Victorville’s Southern California Logistics Airport became an unexpected sanctuary. Hundreds of grounded aircraft created an unprecedented gathering, their perfectly aligned shadows stretching across the desert floor at sunset. Today, it remains a crucial storage facility for commercial aviation. ATTENTION: Embed...
Almost 60 Years After First Flight, The Boeing 747 Still In Demand - Forbes
A Boeing 747 is seen among passenger aircraft at Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona on September 16, 2025. A Max Air 747 stored at the park returned to service in Nigeria in2026.
Spirit Airlines has shut down. But 40 planes are here in Arizona
Forty Spirit Airlines planes are parked at a maintenance and storage facility in Goodyear, Arizona. Spirit Airlines has shut down, after facing numerous challenges, including two bankruptcy filings.
