EirTrade Aviation’s acquisition of two young Airbus A320neos for teardown adds to a parts-recovery trend that CNBC linked to engine shortages and repair delays across the airline industry.
On Feb. 16, EirTrade said it and RESIDCO had acquired two former Spirit Airlines A320neos, aged four and 3.5 years, for dismantling. The company said the work would take place in Goodyear, Arizona, and components would go to its Dallas hub for aircraft-on-ground requests, which involve planes unable to fly while awaiting parts.
CNBC reported, citing aviation data and advisory firm IBA Group, that 21 newer-generation aircraft were dismantled from June 2025 through August 2026, at an average age of 6.4 years. CNBC put the average retirement age for narrowbody aircraft at 21.7 years.
In a 2023 filing, RTX said a powder-metal manufacturing issue prompted Pratt & Whitney to forecast about 600 to 700 additional PW1100G engine removals for shop visits from 2023 through 2026, beyond the forecast entering 2023. A 2024 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directive required inspections and accelerated replacement of specified engine parts after an investigation found increased failure risk among components from certain powdered-metal production campaigns.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said Pratt & Whitney engine deliveries were making it harder for Airbus to increase A320 output at the company’s 2026 annual press conference. Airbus said new-engine production and recall-related maintenance were competing for parts and repair capacity. “We still have too many aircraft on the ground because of missing retrofits,” Faury said.
The EirTrade-RESIDCO deal was announced in February, before Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc. said on May 2 that it was starting a wind-down and had halted all flights. The company pointed to higher oil prices and a lack of new funding.
Parts from dismantled aircraft could give operators awaiting repairs access to additional components. Owners, in turn, give up the option of returning a complete aircraft to service. EirTrade said the recovered parts would support aircraft-on-ground requests.
Airbus has set a target of producing 70 to 75 A320-family aircraft monthly by the end of 2027, a forward indicator for whether engine supply and repair capacity can support its production plans.
