Skyfall: warplanes revived for circular gains

Seven hundred paratroopers jumped from a fleet of historic airplanes during a WWII commemoration ceremony in my area last weekend. While many war-time aircraft have long been scrapped or turned into museum pieces, it was heartening to see some still using their wings.

The grey skies over the moors of Ede came alive with vintage aircraft to mark the 81st anniversary of Operation Market Garden. Dutch and German pilots joined ‘allies’ from Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the UK and US. Soaring high, they performed aerobatic manoeuvres as a narrator peppered the crowd with history.

My favourite moment was watching ‘waves’ of parachutes descend ten at a time, bursting from the belly of each aircraft in rapid succession. The operation, immortalised in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far with Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins and Robert Redford, remains one of the biggest airborne missions in history, involving some 41 000 soldiers.

It’s strange to think these open fields once staged real battles. Today, children line the path of paratroopers filing into vintage military trucks, giggling as they reach for a high five.

Post-war supply chains

The spectacle made me reflect on what has happened to all those planes. Wartime destruction accelerated early industrial recycling. Metal shortages forced governments and industry to reclaim and repurpose whatever they could. The US alone manufactured around 300 000 military aircraft between 1940 and 1945. The vast majority were dismantled afterwards.

At Kingman Army Airfield in Arizona, more than 5 400 aircraft were scrapped, yielding some 28 500 tonnes of aluminium ingots. Altogether, America’s post-war efforts produced roughly 500 000 tonnes of aluminium – enough to fuel post-war construction, consumer goods and new aircraft.

Fast-growing industry

Fast forward to today: modern commercial aircraft last up to 30 years, compared to just 10–15 in the 1930s. But the mix of materials has grown more complex, with alloys, carbon fibre and batteries challenging recyclers in new ways.

In terms of scale, business is booming. The global aircraft recycling market is expected to reach EUR 5.8 billion by the end of this year, doubling to EUR 11.5 billion by 2034 – an annual growth rate of 8.1%.

Fleet renewal, stricter environmental regulations and the rising value of metals such as aluminium, titanium and composites are driving this demand. The most scrapped models include Boeing 737NG aircraft and older Airbus A320 variants.

Meanwhile, technology is catching up. Airbus is developing 3D-printed titanium parts that cut waste and reduce weight by up to 45%, saving 126 tonnes of CO₂ over a 20-year aircraft lifespan. AI-driven robotic dismantling systems are also pushing recyclers into a new era.

Like the restored fighter jets flying over Ede, these breakthroughs remind us that aircraft can have a second life. Whether in the skies, in the scrapyard, or reborn as tomorrow’s raw materials.