<strong>Aircraft revitalized</strong>: What happens to an aircraft when it retires from service? From hotels to furniture to a second life in Australia, there are a surprising number of options.
Aircraft revitalized: What happens to an aircraft when it retires from service? From hotels to furniture to a second life in Australia, there are a surprising number of options.
Courtesy Air Salvage
<strong>Plane sailing:</strong> Air Salvage International is an aviation services firm based at the UK's Cotswolds Airport, where aircraft are dismantled for parts following their retirement.
Plane sailing: Air Salvage International is an aviation services firm based at the UK's Cotswolds Airport, where aircraft are dismantled for parts following their retirement.
Courtesy Air Salvage
<strong>Dismantling planes</strong>: Air Salvage International has dismantled some 730 commercial aircraft: "The average age of the aircraft we scrap is 18 years," managing director Mark Gregory tells CNN Travel.
Dismantling planes: Air Salvage International has dismantled some 730 commercial aircraft: "The average age of the aircraft we scrap is 18 years," managing director Mark Gregory tells CNN Travel.
Courtesy Air Salvage
<strong>Waste and recycle:</strong> Once an aircraft has been de-registered, it technically becomes waste and has to be processed accordingly. The individual metals, plastics and fluids have to be separated and recycled.
Waste and recycle: Once an aircraft has been de-registered, it technically becomes waste and has to be processed accordingly. The individual metals, plastics and fluids have to be separated and recycled.
Courtesy Air Salvage
<strong>Restoring the old</strong>: The French company Tarmac Aerosave is a prominent airplane recycling firm, where planes head to be dismantled and often reinvented.
Restoring the old: The French company Tarmac Aerosave is a prominent airplane recycling firm, where planes head to be dismantled and often reinvented.
CNN/Ayesha Durgahee
<strong>Skeletons</strong>: Tarmac Aerosave keep the skeletons of the aircraft at their facilities at Tarbes and Francazal in southern France and Teruel in eastern Spain.
Skeletons: Tarmac Aerosave keep the skeletons of the aircraft at their facilities at Tarbes and Francazal in southern France and Teruel in eastern Spain.
CNN/Ayesha Durgahee
<strong>Future considered</strong>: Tarmac sometimes picks planes apart or simply stores them while their future is decided.
Future considered: Tarmac sometimes picks planes apart or simply stores them while their future is decided.
courtesy Airbus SAS
<strong>Active market</strong>: Tarmac engineers removed the engines from this aircraft. "Most of the value is in the engines, but there is an active market for all sort of used parts and spares," says David Treitel, a former executive at Apollo Aviation Group, a Miami-based financial services firm.
Active market: Tarmac engineers removed the engines from this aircraft. "Most of the value is in the engines, but there is an active market for all sort of used parts and spares," says David Treitel, a former executive at Apollo Aviation Group, a Miami-based financial services firm.
Courtesy Airbus SAS
<strong>Hold onto your seatbelts</strong>: Tarmac find inventive uses for reusing and recycling the parts from the airplanes.
Hold onto your seatbelts: Tarmac find inventive uses for reusing and recycling the parts from the airplanes.
Courtesy Rémy Michelin
<strong>Moving metal</strong>: This yellow arch at the Tarmac Aerosave facilities at Tarbes has an aircraft fuselage -- a machine that "cold-cuts" metal.
Moving metal: This yellow arch at the Tarmac Aerosave facilities at Tarbes has an aircraft fuselage -- a machine that "cold-cuts" metal.
Courtesy Rémy Michelin
<strong>Aircraft hotel:</strong> Sometimes aircraft get unusual regenerations. A Boeing 747 at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, pictured, has become a hotel.
Aircraft hotel: Sometimes aircraft get unusual regenerations. A Boeing 747 at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, pictured, has become a hotel.
Courtesy Jumbo Stay Hotel
<strong>Sky high:</strong> The grounded jet that has become the Jumbo Stay Hotel offers 33 dorm-style rooms. There's also an extra-special suite in the cockpit.
Sky high: The grounded jet that has become the Jumbo Stay Hotel offers 33 dorm-style rooms. There's also an extra-special suite in the cockpit.
Courtesy Jumbo Stay Hotel
<strong>Aviation-themed:</strong> Near Zurich airport, an old Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-14 is the centerpiece of aviation-themed restaurant Runway34.
Aviation-themed: Near Zurich airport, an old Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-14 is the centerpiece of aviation-themed restaurant Runway34.
Courtesy Runway34
<strong>Unexpected plane sightings</strong>: At the Hotel Costa Verde in Costa Rica, you can spend a night in a former Boeing 727, partially submerged in the jungle canopy.
Unexpected plane sightings: At the Hotel Costa Verde in Costa Rica, you can spend a night in a former Boeing 727, partially submerged in the jungle canopy.
Courtesy Vincent Castello
The amazing second lives of aircrafts
CNN  — 

We’ve all seen the pictures.

Row upon row of derelict aircraft very slowly rusting away in the desert.

Aircraft graveyards might be spectacular, but they’re just a small cog in the fascinating industry that takes care of commercial aircraft once they’re taken out of service.

As soon as an airliner is approaching the end of its operational life, a whole financial and industrial ecosystem, spanning from hedge funds to specialized recycling firms, springs into action.

A hidden treasure

Air Salvage International makes decisions on whether aircraft are saved or scrapped.
Air Salvage International makes decisions on whether aircraft are saved or scrapped.
Courtesy Air Salvage

Even those aircraft deemed too old to fly can hide a large amount of value in their interiors.

“The decision to dismantle an aircraft most often depends on whether the value of its parts and components is higher than that of the aircraft as a flying machine,” says Mark Gregory, managing director of Air Salvage International, an aviation services firm based at the UK’s Cotswolds Airport.

But many aircraft do not even reach old age.

“The average age of the aircraft we scrap is 18 years,” Gregory tells CNN Travel. “This is already well below the theoretical operational life they have been designed for, but in some occasions we have dismantled aircraft that were not even 10 years old,” adds Gregory, whose firm has dismantled some 730 commercial aircraft of all types over the last couple of decades.

Air Salvage Managing Director Mark Gregory says the average age of aircraft scrapped is 18 years.
Air Salvage Managing Director Mark Gregory says the average age of aircraft scrapped is 18 years.
Courtesy Air Salvage

The potential of aircraft parts as an asset class has drawn the attention of specialized investment firms as well as some hedge funds.

“It is a very sizable industry,” explains David Treitel, a former executive at Apollo Aviation Group, a Miami-based financial services firm that is active in this market.

“Most of the value is in the engines, but there is an active market for all sorts of used parts and spares. It is often more interesting for an airline to replace a broken part with a used one, rather than repair it.”

There's a market for used aircraft parts.
There's a market for used aircraft parts.
Courtesy Air Salvage

As the supply for certain components is rather rigid, a surge in demand can prompt a global scramble and drive accordingly the relative value of aircraft and their constituent parts.

Despite the safeguards in place and regulatory oversight – all parts should be properly tracked and accounted for – the global nature of this market and its myriad intermediaries means some counterfeits end up eventually in the supply chain.

An issue that perhaps the nascent blockchain technology industry can help tackle.

“It is estimated that at least 2% of parts are counterfeit. Given the large number of parts in every aircraft, you get an idea of the size of this issue,” says Eleanor Mitch, founder of SafeFlights, a Paris-based start-up that is developing smart contract technologies to certify aerospace parts.

From retirement to scrap

This suite at the Hotel Costa Verde on the Costa Rican coast was once a Boeing 727. For $250 a night ($500 during peak season) you can sleep next to tropical beaches in an airplane that can no longer fly.
Vintage Boeing 727 now rainforest suite —
This suite at the Hotel Costa Verde on the Costa Rican coast was once a Boeing 727. For $250 a night ($500 during peak season) you can sleep next to tropical beaches in an airplane that can no longer fly.
Courtesy Vincent Castello
The emergency door on the 727 leads to a relaxing lunch area on the patio, built above the right wing of the airplane. Unexpected guests may include sloths and monkeys.
Hotel Costa Verde, Costa Rica —
The emergency door on the 727 leads to a relaxing lunch area on the patio, built above the right wing of the airplane. Unexpected guests may include sloths and monkeys.
courtesy vincent costello
Made from the fuselage of a Boeing 307 Stratoliner, this shipshape little vessel once belonged to Howard Hughes. As it passed between owners, it evolved into its current seafaring form. Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett christened it the "Cosmic Muffin." Current owner, Dave Drimmer, purchased it as a houseboat 1981. It now sits in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
It's a plane! It's a boat! It's a house! —
Made from the fuselage of a Boeing 307 Stratoliner, this shipshape little vessel once belonged to Howard Hughes. As it passed between owners, it evolved into its current seafaring form. Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett christened it the "Cosmic Muffin." Current owner, Dave Drimmer, purchased it as a houseboat 1981. It now sits in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
courtesy starkweather design
Owner Dave Drimmer, rebuilding the hull of his "planeboat" in 1994.
The Cosmic Muffin —
Owner Dave Drimmer, rebuilding the hull of his "planeboat" in 1994.
courtesy starkweather design
California-based MotoArt designs and builds unconventional furniture from decommissioned aircraft. Clients include AOL, Microsoft, GoDaddy, NetJets, Alitalia, Boeing, Northrup Grumman and Royal Jordanian.
Corporate furniture from airplane parts —
California-based MotoArt designs and builds unconventional furniture from decommissioned aircraft. Clients include AOL, Microsoft, GoDaddy, NetJets, Alitalia, Boeing, Northrup Grumman and Royal Jordanian.
courtesy motoart
A section of airplane fuselage, pretty much useless on its own. Add a desk and it becomes a stylish aluminum alloy partition that also happens to be extremely tough and durable.
Office space by MotoArt —
A section of airplane fuselage, pretty much useless on its own. Add a desk and it becomes a stylish aluminum alloy partition that also happens to be extremely tough and durable.
courtesy motoart
This MotoArt's seat design is called the "Albatross," and made from parts rescued from airplane bone yards.
If only all airplane seats were this comfy —
This MotoArt's seat design is called the "Albatross," and made from parts rescued from airplane bone yards.
courtesy motoart
"About 120 man hours go into each piece with MotoArt's technician grinding, cutting, sanding and polishing," says MotoArt's website about creating corporate desks from airplane parts. "The wing is buffed for 12 hours to bring about the stunning finish of your piece of art." The website has detailed information about the aircraft each piece is made from.
Executive desk —
"About 120 man hours go into each piece with MotoArt's technician grinding, cutting, sanding and polishing," says MotoArt's website about creating corporate desks from airplane parts. "The wing is buffed for 12 hours to bring about the stunning finish of your piece of art." The website has detailed information about the aircraft each piece is made from.
courtesy motoart
MotoArt creates all sorts of tables -- martini tables, coffee tables, conference tables -- from unexpected plane parts, including propellers.
"We went for the 'raw machine' look this time" —
MotoArt creates all sorts of tables -- martini tables, coffee tables, conference tables -- from unexpected plane parts, including propellers.
courtesy motoart
Magic Mike would love this MotoArt coffee table. It comes with a fancy name -- the F-4 Phantom -- and includes 10 burner cans with red LED internal illumination for mood lighting.
For a certain type of bachelor pad —
Magic Mike would love this MotoArt coffee table. It comes with a fancy name -- the F-4 Phantom -- and includes 10 burner cans with red LED internal illumination for mood lighting.
courtesy motoar
As this simple but brilliant bordbar design proves, getting furniture from airplanes doesn't have to mean cutting through an aluminum fuselage or hacking off the engine. Sometimes it's a matter of taking what's already there and giving it a slight facelift.
A new way to serve —
As this simple but brilliant bordbar design proves, getting furniture from airplanes doesn't have to mean cutting through an aluminum fuselage or hacking off the engine. Sometimes it's a matter of taking what's already there and giving it a slight facelift.
That annoying elbow-jostling drinks cart has a classy new look, thanks to Skypak.
Wine trolley —
That annoying elbow-jostling drinks cart has a classy new look, thanks to Skypak.
courtesy skypak
Skypak, a German company that specializes in selling refurbished trolleys, has a clever storage idea: use trolleys to store ties and shirts. You can purchase customizations such as shelves and drawers with the trolleys at the Skypak store. More innovative conversions include DVD racks, coffee bars and shoe cabinets. Skypak trolleys start at €1,380 ($1,833).
A perfect fit —
Skypak, a German company that specializes in selling refurbished trolleys, has a clever storage idea: use trolleys to store ties and shirts. You can purchase customizations such as shelves and drawers with the trolleys at the Skypak store. More innovative conversions include DVD racks, coffee bars and shoe cabinets. Skypak trolleys start at €1,380 ($1,833).
courtesy motoart
Once it held ginger ale and packets of peanuts. Now it holds important documents; bordbar trolleys start at €979 ($1,300).
Right at home —
Once it held ginger ale and packets of peanuts. Now it holds important documents; bordbar trolleys start at €979 ($1,300).
courtesy bordbar
The Hotel Suite in the Netherlands consists of a completely intact 1960 Ilyushin Il-18 converted into a hotel suite for two.
The Hotel Suite, Netherlands —
The Hotel Suite in the Netherlands consists of a completely intact 1960 Ilyushin Il-18 converted into a hotel suite for two.
courtesy hotelsuites.nl
The Hotel Suite is equipped with this bed, a Jacuzzi, infrared sauna and mini-bar. It's a plane of many lives: it started out as a political transport, was converted to a commercial airplane seating 120, then used as a restaurant for 15 years until it became a hotel in 2007.
Plane on the outside, party on the inside —
The Hotel Suite is equipped with this bed, a Jacuzzi, infrared sauna and mini-bar. It's a plane of many lives: it started out as a political transport, was converted to a commercial airplane seating 120, then used as a restaurant for 15 years until it became a hotel in 2007.
courtesy hotelsuites.nl
He throws his suitcase in a gesture of celebration -- he's going to be bunking in a jet tonight. That jet is Jumbo Stay at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport, the only jumbo jet hotel in the world. It also happens to be an affordable hostel, fitted with 76 beds.
A comfortable hostel —
He throws his suitcase in a gesture of celebration -- he's going to be bunking in a jet tonight. That jet is Jumbo Stay at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport, the only jumbo jet hotel in the world. It also happens to be an affordable hostel, fitted with 76 beds.
courtesy jumbo stay
With commercial seats removed, airplanes look surprisingly larger inside. This is the dining area at Jumbo Stay.
Room to breathe —
With commercial seats removed, airplanes look surprisingly larger inside. This is the dining area at Jumbo Stay.
courtesy jumbo sta
Bio-Luminum is an aluminum tiling product made by U.S.-based Coverings ETC. It's made from 100% recycled aircraft aluminum. Unidentifiable aircraft parts -- cockpit? wingtip? -- get new lives as parts of a decorative wall.
Aluminum bricks —
Bio-Luminum is an aluminum tiling product made by U.S.-based Coverings ETC. It's made from 100% recycled aircraft aluminum. Unidentifiable aircraft parts -- cockpit? wingtip? -- get new lives as parts of a decorative wall.
courtesy coverings etc
The game: spot the airplane. It's there, in its new form as Bio-Luminum, and it's clean, understated and -- we'll say it -- stylish.
Bio-Luminum style —
The game: spot the airplane. It's there, in its new form as Bio-Luminum, and it's clean, understated and -- we'll say it -- stylish.
courtesy coverings etc.
The Kiehl's storefront at the Yorkdale Shopping Center in Toronto is adorned with Bio-Luminum bricks. "The objective was to stand out among the many other larger storefronts," says Tom Berroth, Global Store Designer at Kiehl's. "One of Kiehl's founding fathers -- Aaron Morse -- was a military pilot and collected stunt planes. So a significant aspect of Kiehl's heritage and brand references Mr. Morse's passion for flying and adventure."
Decorative storefronts —
The Kiehl's storefront at the Yorkdale Shopping Center in Toronto is adorned with Bio-Luminum bricks. "The objective was to stand out among the many other larger storefronts," says Tom Berroth, Global Store Designer at Kiehl's. "One of Kiehl's founding fathers -- Aaron Morse -- was a military pilot and collected stunt planes. So a significant aspect of Kiehl's heritage and brand references Mr. Morse's passion for flying and adventure."
courtesy kiehl's
Architect David Hertz designed this Wing House in Malibu from the wing of a Boeing 747 for a client who requested "curvilinear, feminine shapes." While the roof looks durable, we're wondering what it sounds like when it rains.
Hot aluminum roof —
Architect David Hertz designed this Wing House in Malibu from the wing of a Boeing 747 for a client who requested "curvilinear, feminine shapes." While the roof looks durable, we're wondering what it sounds like when it rains.
courtesy carson leh and laura doss
Given the strength and durability of aircraft aluminum, building a home from a former aircraft is practical.
Winged house —
Given the strength and durability of aircraft aluminum, building a home from a former aircraft is practical.
courtesy carson leh and laura doss
Joe Axline's airplane home, "Project Freedom," involves two airplanes. Axline works in IT, but with a father who used to fly for Pan Am, he's always had an interest in airplanes. "When I was 15 my dad would drive me to the airport so I could get in an airplane and go fly around the country," says Axline, who moved into the airplane in November 2012.
Private homes —
Joe Axline's airplane home, "Project Freedom," involves two airplanes. Axline works in IT, but with a father who used to fly for Pan Am, he's always had an interest in airplanes. "When I was 15 my dad would drive me to the airport so I could get in an airplane and go fly around the country," says Axline, who moved into the airplane in November 2012.
courtesy joe axline
"The baggage compartments are really huge and will be turned into the kids' game room," says Axline.
Coolest dad in the world? —
"The baggage compartments are really huge and will be turned into the kids' game room," says Axline.
courtesy joe axline
Once a Boeing 737, this artificial reef off the coast of British Columbia is so covered in algae that it's hard to believe that it was once airborne. "It sits in about 90 feet of water suspended on an underwater 'cradle,' to simulate 'flying' underwater," says Deidre Forbes McCracken of the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia. "The reef attracts divers from all around the world."
From up in the air to underwater —
Once a Boeing 737, this artificial reef off the coast of British Columbia is so covered in algae that it's hard to believe that it was once airborne. "It sits in about 90 feet of water suspended on an underwater 'cradle,' to simulate 'flying' underwater," says Deidre Forbes McCracken of the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia. "The reef attracts divers from all around the world."
courtesy john kaay of cold water photography
Creative ways to recycle an airplane

If properly taken care of, airliners can have a long operative life spanning several decades.

Some airlines may even prefer older aircraft types for operational reasons.

Take, for example, Alliance Airlines, a niche carrier that services mining outposts throughout Australia. This Brisbane-based airline has been snapping up second-hand Fokker 100 aircraft as soon as European airlines take them out of service. The ruggedness and reliability of the old Fokkers make them ideal to operate in the hot, dusty airports Alliance flies to.

However, most aging aircraft do not get a chance to enjoy a second youth in Australia. For them the beginning of the end is a flight to a storage airport.

There are a handful of such facilities around the world. Quite a few of them are located in the southwestern United States, to take advantage of the dry climate and land availability. In Europe, similar facilities exist in the Cotswolds (UK), Tarbes and Francazal (France) and Teruel (Spain).

Tarmac engineers may have removed the engines from this aircraft, but that doesn't mean it has to die.
Tarmac engineers may have removed the engines from this aircraft, but that doesn't mean it has to die.
Courtesy Airbus SAS

The airport in Spain where planes go for a long nap

Very often storage is just temporary while an aircraft is changing hands and until it’s transferred to its new owners, but for some aircraft it is the step prior to de-registration and scrapping.

When the decision is taken that an aircraft won’t be flying again, it is, first of all, stripped bare of any valuable components.

“The amount of components that can be reused depends on the age of the aircraft. We may remove some 1,200 parts and components from a fairly newish A320-type aircraft. The engines make 80% to 90% of the value and it is always the first thing to go,” says Gregory.

Once devoid of any valuables, sections of the airframe may be cut and taken away to be used as training facilities for crew, firefighters or at educational institutions.

Teruel Airport in eastern Spain is Europe's largest industrial airport. It might look like a plane junkyard, but most of the airplanes are waiting for the chance to fly again.
Where jumbo jets go to sleep —
Teruel Airport in eastern Spain is Europe's largest industrial airport. It might look like a plane junkyard, but most of the airplanes are waiting for the chance to fly again.
Miquel Ros
It hosts aircraft from all over the world that have been withdrawn from service, be it temporarily or permanently, and caters to their maintenance needs.
Withdrawn from service —
It hosts aircraft from all over the world that have been withdrawn from service, be it temporarily or permanently, and caters to their maintenance needs.
Miquel Ros
Some are ready to fly but need to wait for financial or legal issues to be sorted out first. Some are here because the airlines that own them need to temporarily adjust capacity to cope with fluctuating market conditions.
The waiting room —
Some are ready to fly but need to wait for financial or legal issues to be sorted out first. Some are here because the airlines that own them need to temporarily adjust capacity to cope with fluctuating market conditions.
Miquel Ros
Teruel's arid climate is ideal for storing the aircraft with minimum deterioration.
Perfect conditions —
Teruel's arid climate is ideal for storing the aircraft with minimum deterioration.
Miquel Ros
Teruel is one of only a few such facilities on the planet. There's one near Pau in France and another in the Mojave Desert in the United States.
Exclusive club —
Teruel is one of only a few such facilities on the planet. There's one near Pau in France and another in the Mojave Desert in the United States.
Miquel Ros
Teruel is also home to a whole range of other aviation-related activities, including drone and rocket-engine testing and pilot training.
Other activities —
Teruel is also home to a whole range of other aviation-related activities, including drone and rocket-engine testing and pilot training.
Miquel Ros
The troubles undergone by Russian airlines Transaero and UTAir have led to a recent influx of Russian airliners of all types, some of them almost new from the factory.
Russian economics —
The troubles undergone by Russian airlines Transaero and UTAir have led to a recent influx of Russian airliners of all types, some of them almost new from the factory.
Miquel Ros
An planned expansion of the airport grounds that will allow for more than 200 airliners to be stored simultaneously.
Expansion —
An planned expansion of the airport grounds that will allow for more than 200 airliners to be stored simultaneously.
Miquel Ros
While the airport isn't typically open to visitors, plane spotters can easily check it out from the nearby highway.
Plane spotting —
While the airport isn't typically open to visitors, plane spotters can easily check it out from the nearby highway.
Miquel Ros
The huge ghost airport where planes go to sleep

Everything else would be recycled or sold for scrap.

In fact, once the aircraft has been de-registered, it is technically classed as waste and it has to be processed in compliance with environmental regulations.

No surprise, then, that one of the most prominent players in this field, the French firm Tarmac Aerosave, which manages facilities at Tarbes, Francazal and Teruel, is in fact co-owned by aerospace firms Airbus and Safran together with waste management giant Suez.

Planes are recycled at Tarmac Aerosave.
Planes are recycled at Tarmac Aerosave.
CNN/Ayesha Durgahee

Breaking down an aircraft requires specialized skills and some really smart technology to gather, separate and recycle the different metals, plastics and fluids that it contains.

On occasions the aircraft is not recycled, but simply left to rust. “There may be legal or financial reasons for an aircraft owner not to de-register an aircraft, even when it is clear that it won’t be flying again. This is when you see those impressive aircraft graveyards,” explains Treitel.

Unusual retirements

Jumbo Stay Hotel at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport reuses an old Boeing 747.
Jumbo Stay Hotel at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport reuses an old Boeing 747.
Courtesy Jumbo Stay Hotel

In a small number of cases, aircraft are assigned to more unusual roles after retirement.

This was the case for one of Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 747s. After coming out of service, this jumbo jet was transferred to sister company Virgin Galactic, so that it could serve as a launch pad for its new space travel vehicles.

Private individuals and entrepreneurs have also bought old airliners to convert them into hotels, restaurants or tourist attractions.

You can stay inside an old jet in the Jumbo Stay Hotel.
You can stay inside an old jet in the Jumbo Stay Hotel.
Courtesy Jumbo Stay Hotel

20 planes for flying buffs -- from Boeing to Airbus

A Boeing 767 that used to fly for the now bankrupt Russian airline Transaero made headlines when it was transferred by barge to its new home at a theme park in the west of Ireland, providing some extraordinary photo opportunities along the way.

Travelers staying overnight at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm can sleep at the Jumbo Stay Hotel, that, as its name implies, it is set in an old Boeing 747 that has been given a new role in the hospitality industry.

Next to Zurich airport, an old Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-14 takes center stage at aviation-themed restaurant Runway34.

Nostalgia for past eras means that in rare cases attempts are made to bring old aircraft to life.

Runway34 is a restaurant near Zurich airport with an old Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-14 as its centerpiece.
Runway34 is a restaurant near Zurich airport with an old Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-14 as its centerpiece.
Courtesy Runway34

This is the case for Lufthansa’s project to restore to flying condition a 1950s Lockheed Super Constellation, where the airframe has been preserved but the cockpit and cabin are being completely rebuilt and equipped with modern avionics at a significant cost.

In any case, what seems clear is that with the impressive growth of the global commercial aircraft fleet in recent years, the business of storing, recycling or finding new placements for aging aircraft seems assured.

Miquel Ros is an aviation blogger and consultant. An economist by background, he’s worked for Flightglobal and Bloomberg.