CARGO DEMAND RESURRECTS AIRCRAFT FROM RETIREMENT IN DESERT BONEYARD

Pinal Airpark, an aircraft “boneyard” in Arizona, has become a prime location for sourcing cargo aircraft during the pandemic. While passenger airlines suffered, cargo airlines needed to expand their fleets to meet the rising demand fueled by the global uptick in online shopping. The Southwestern region of the United States is home to 80 percent of the world’s stored aircraft and Pinal Airpark hosted more than 400 aircraft from airlines during the height of the pandemic.

Cargo carriers, including Amazon’s Prime Air operation, have turned to Pinal Airpark to purchase close to 50 of the stored airplanes since the onset of the pandemic. Jets that previously served as passenger-carrying aircraft, however, still need to undergo cargo conversion that can take up to four months to complete and the process can cost upwards of $13 million for an aircraft like the Boeing 767-300ER. The desert selection of available cargo convertible aircraft has dwindled as the best options have been purchased, but storage facilities continue to report demand from cargo operators searching for fulfillment of their fleet needs.