Constellium SE, a global leader in aluminum solutions and recycling, and TARMAC Aerosave, a pioneer in aircraft and engine storage, maintenance, and eco-responsible dismantling, are proud to jointly announce a major milestone in sustainable aerospace innovation: the successful recycling and remelting of aluminum from end-of-life aircraft into new, high-performance material suitable for future aerospace applications.
This milestone highlights the potential of aluminum to support circular economy goals in aerospace, without compromising material performance. Following months of collaborative research and development, supported in particular by Airbus and ValoER, Constellium has successfully remelted aluminum recovered by TARMAC Aerosave from retired commercial aircraft, producing material that meets the stringent performance requirements for new aircraft manufacturing. The next step will be to scale up this process for industrial application and to extend it to any aluminum alloy used in metallic aircraft, further demonstrating the full recyclability of end-of-life metallic airframes.
鈥淎t Constellium, recycling is at the core of what we do. We have extensive experience in giving aluminum an endless life across various industries,鈥� said Philippe Hoffmann, President of Constellium鈥檚 Aerospace and聽Transportation business unit. 鈥淲hat makes this initiative truly exciting is that it demonstrates – through a real-world example – that even complex aerospace aluminum alloys from end-of-life aircraft can be fully recycled into material suitable for new aerospace applications. It鈥檚 a proof point for the circular economy in aviation.鈥�
鈥淭he circularity of aeronautical materials is at the heart of TARMAC Aerosave’s DNA. It’s what built its worldwide reputation as a leader in aircraft recycling, before becoming a one-stop shop. Aluminium is one of the materials that we have always sought to sort and recover in the best possible way in order to increase our recycling rate, which is now more than 92%. We鈥檙e proud to have joined forces with partners who share our commitment to advancing circular solutions for aviation,鈥� said Alexandre Brun, President and CEO of TARMAC Aerosave.