Cargo Chat: Challenge Group’s Ingolfsson lauds use of recycled aircraft parts

The air cargo industry is increasingly looking for sustainable power options, from sustainable aviation fuel to electric ground support equipment, from hydrogen power to solar power. The industry is also looking to reusable packaging and equipment. [caption id="attachment_57144386" align="alignright" width="300"] Eyjolfur Vestmann Ingolfsson, head of materials and logistics at Challenge Group[/caption] As part of this movement, air cargo company Challenge Group is prioritizing the use of recycled aircraft parts and recently appointed Eyjolfur “Eyvi” Vestmann Ingolfsson as head of materials and logistics. Challenge Group operates three airlines, a commercial division, a ground handling company, a road feeder service, an aircraft and parts leasing division, and a line maintenance provider. The aftermarket for recycled aircraft parts is valued at $2.2 billion and is especially vital amid an aircraft parts shortage, according to a Challenge Group release. “Across the globe, airline fleets are being modernized and expanded,” the release stated. “As a result, passenger aircraft are being converted into freighters, and older aircraft dismantled for recycling or regeneration. A staggering 6 million different parts make up a single Boeing 747. Of those, at least 2,000 part types can be regenerated within the aviation industry alone, thus significantly contributing to the sustainability and efficiency of aircraft maintenance.” Ingolfsson — a materials and spare parts management specialist for 20 years at companies such as Bluebird Nordic , Inter Continental Aviation and Inter Continental Trade — will oversee spare-parts management and logistics, and ensure the provisioning, procurement, inventory management and distribution of spare parts for Challenge Group’s aircraft fleet. Ingolfsson recently discussed recycling and upcycling of aircraft parts with A ir Cargo Next . What follows is an edited version of that conversation. Air Cargo Next: What is the process for sourcing and supplying recycled parts? Eyvi Ingolfsson: We have several platforms and avenues at our disposal when it comes to sourcing recycled parts. Safety and quality are No. 1 in the aircraft material sourcing procedure, so if the available recycled parts do not meet the highest industry quality standard, we purchase new-condition units instead. Air Cargo Next: How do you ensure the safety of these parts? EI: Safety is ensured by verifying the airworthiness certification, which is provided with each part and to make sure that they comply with the respective regulatory authority’s standards, as well as making sure that the parts have been handled and stored properly. Furthermore, we only deal with reputable trusted vendors, which we do spot checks on a regular basis with to make sure that the quality of their supplied parts is ensured. Air Cargo Next: For what parts do you see the greatest demand? EI: The greatest demand is usually from wheels, oxygen bottles and other high-turnover parts. The cost varies from season to season, but the cost and time savings of using recycled parts are significant versus purchasing new units. Air Cargo Next: How does recycling aircraft parts contribute to sustainability? EI: As a rule of thumb, it is estimated that around 80% of the weight of an aircraft consists of aluminum alloys, mostly on the aircraft’s structure and flight surfaces such as flaps, ailerons and other areas. Aluminum is a good example as it is ideal for recycling due to its high resistance to corrosion. The more such parts are recycled, the less need there is to produce new parts, thus reducing the airline’s carbon footprint. Air Cargo Next: Challenge Group said in a release that there is growing demand to upcycle aircraft elements both within and without the aviation industry. What other industries are looking to upcycle aircraft elements? EI: Well, as we all know, aviation is an exciting industry which draws many enthusiasts from all walks of life to it. There are a number of exciting upcycle projects going on in various corners of the world and the ideas seem endless. Ranging from making keychains and Christmas ornaments, to furniture, barbecues and all sorts of collector’s items, all the way up to making restaurants and hotels out of whole aircraft airframes. Air Cargo Next: What is the difference between “upcycle” and “recycle,” and how does Challenge Group do both? EI: From the perspective of the aircraft parts and material side of the business, upcycling is when the material from the aircraft is used for another purpose than what it was originally intended, whereas recycling is when the material is used again for the same purpose with reparations done. Challenge Group engages in recycling from a procurement point for the fleet. However, on the upcycling, there are keychains being made from removed panels of one of our Boeing 767-300 aircraft, 9H-CAC, by a company named Diamond Plane Tags , which are really cool. I have one myself. Air Cargo Next: Having been in this industry for two decades, do you see different attitudes from the sector regarding recycling? EI: Yes, absolutely the attitudes have changed, which is a good thing for all of us. I think the environmental consciousness of the entire aviation industry has grown quite significantly in the last 10 to 15 years. People are much more focused on reducing waste and sustainability in general. There had been a steady supply of recycled parts on the market up until the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in 2020, we saw a vast number of the world’s aircraft fleet grounded, due to the COVID travel restrictions. This presented a great opportunity to start retiring and dismantling older aircraft more than before. This saw an increase in the supply of recycled parts, which helped to get the aircraft faster back in the sky during the recovery. Without the recycled parts to service the returning fleet, they would have had far greater delays and a slower recovery, as the production of new parts had been greatly disrupted during the pandemic. That’s when recycled parts came to the rescue.

Cargo Chat: Challenge Group’s Ingolfsson lauds use of recycled aircraft parts

Head of materials and logistics spoke on sustainability benefits

Where are US stocks headed? Here are the key levels to watch

Sustainability targets in question after Air New Zealand backtracks

Related Posts

From the Cockpit with K2 Aviation’s Karl Ryan

Production freighter activity highlights May FATs

Widebodies account for more than half of April’s transactions

Sustainability targets in question after Air New Zealand backtracks

Cargo Facts Free Newsletters

Cargo Facts Connect Podcast

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password