Four Airbus A320neos Parted Out For Recycling

Four Airbus A320neos, formerly operated by Indian carrier Go First and currently owned by parts trading specialist AerFin, have been dismantled and recycled by French company Tarmac Aerosave.

Although the A320neo family’s average age is only 3.76 years, early teardowns are being fueled by accelerated engine inspections and upgrades. Aviation Week reported the first A320neo part-out by Unical Aviation and its ecube subsidiary in April 2025. According to Aviation Week Network’s Fleet Discovery database, 14 A320neo family aircraft are currently listed as retired. Almost all of these are ex-Go First or IndiGo aircraft.

Go First cited the unreliability of its Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engines as a major reason for its May 2023 grounding, which was followed by a long legal standoff, as lessors fought to reclaim the aircraft and their technical records. During that process, the lessors complained that the stranded aircraft were not being appropriately maintained.

The part-out of Go First’s 2017-build A320neos began in June 2025, with each aircraft generating 1,400 parts. Tarmac said the landing gear, engines and auxiliary power unit (APU) were removed early in the process, so they could be remarketed quickly. Dummy landing gears were then used to support the aircraft for the remainder of the process.

Tarmac has recycled more than 430 aircraft to date, and its parts recovery rate has reached 92%. AerFin started recycling aircraft with Tarmac 10 years ago, with an initial A340. This was followed by seven A330s in 2024 and, most recently, the four A320neos. Tarmac said it is expecting to receive further feedstock from AerFin by the end of 2025.

On Sept. 15, AerFin announced that it had acquired another Pratt GTF-powered A320neo, in partnership with a Middle East investor, from EMP Aviation Trading. The aircraft has been through its six-year maintenance check and full interval shop visits on both engines. AerFin is planning to disassemble this airframe in Asia, to supply the local market. “The engines are fresh out of overhaul and are available,” AerFin said.