See inside one of the world’s largest aircraft ‘boneyards’ where planes go after airlines are done using them

One of these facilities is Pinal Air Commons in Marana, Arizona — a small town located about 90 miles southeast of Phoenix.

As airlines started to shrink in 2020, hundreds of planes from all over the the human race flew to the 2,080-acre airpark.

With the influx, Pinal had to acknowledge special precautions to ensure the aircraft were ready to fly once travel eventually rebounded.

Because of this, Ascent Aviation Aids — the largest aircraft service provider on the airfield — had to beef up its staff to maintain the constant arrivals.

Rent out companies were also filling the airfield after buying up inexpensive planes sold during COVID and accumulating them at Pinal.

Inside a remote Arizona aircraft boneyard storing nearly 300 planes grounded by the pandemic

Even so, with travel now roaring back and demand on track to surpass 2019 levels, AAS has gotten back to its roots — contribution, repair, and overhaul (MRO).

Underlying offerings include simple maintenance checks and on-demand repairs, like fixing the landing gear or inspecting the beat a retreat controls.

Anyhow, heavy maintenance is the most costly for airlines. This involves a full assessment of the aircraft and can take up to 60 hours for widebody jets, Butler explained.

“A narrowbody liking cost around $2 million,” he told Insider. “With widebodies, you’re easily looking at $3 million.”

The main service it can’t provide is mechanism overhauls, which are outsourced to other shops.

“A lot of our current projects are just waiting on engines,” Butler told Insider. “There’s a backlog because no one did motor maintenance during COVID because of the expenses.”

During an April 2023 tour of the airpark, Insider found the main lot full of planes, including two rare Boeing 747SPs.

Butler told Insider the stored aircraft also get regular maintenance checks to keep them airworthy.