GUANGZHOU- China Southern Airlines (CZ) launched a proposal request on November 19 to sell its complete fleet of 10 Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including two GE Aerospace GEnx-1B engines.
The sale includes the carrier’s first 787 delivery, registration B-2725, received in May 2013. Aircraft deliveries will commence in 2025 and continue through 2026.
China Southern Boeing 787-8 Sell
China Southern mandates the sale of all aircraft and engines as a complete package, rejecting partial-fleet purchase proposals.
Interested buyers must submit preliminary expressions of interest by November 25. The airline will distribute detailed technical specifications and aircraft condition reports to qualified buyers by November 30.
The airline maintains operations of the larger Boeing 787-9 variant, indicating a potential fleet standardization strategy.
China Southern Airlines has a fleet of 18 Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The airline maintains a diverse fleet and has over 650 aircraft.
According to FlightConnections, China Southern Airlines maintains extensive network coverage, operating flights to 156 destinations within China and connecting 78 international cities across 48 countries as of November 2024.
Two 787 Scrapped
Two Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, formerly operated by Norwegian Air Shuttle, are dismanted at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow, marking the first commercial retirement of the aircraft type.
The aircraft, delivered in June and August 2013, represent unprecedented early retirement cases for the Dreamliner fleet, following only a Boeing test aircraft scrapped in 2018, CNN reported.
EirTrade, a Dublin-based aviation trading company, manages the dismantling operation. CEO Ken Fitzgibbon projects a three to four-month timeline for the complete process, targeting 95% recyclability of aircraft components.
The timing aligns with increasing demand for 787 parts, as many operational aircraft approach their 12-year heavy maintenance checks. This maintenance milestone significantly influenced the decision to retire these aircraft, according to Lee Carey, VP of asset management at EirTrade.
The dismantling process began with engine removal and defueling operations. Teams now follow a specific “harvest list” targeting high-value components, which undergo repairs or overhaul before entering the global aviation parts market.
EirTrade brings relevant experience from previous young widebody dismantling projects, including decade-old Airbus A380s from Singapore Airlines and Air France.
This development follows other recent early retirements, including a 10-year-old VIP Boeing 747 with only 16 flights and several young Airbus A380s. However, aviation experts suggest these cases remain exceptions, with typical airliner service life spanning 20-25 years.
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