Summary
Think of airliner storage and scrapping and you’ll probably picture the giant desert boneyards of Arizona and California.
Places like Marana, Mojave and Victorville have long been the place that airliners go to die. The dry desert heat and sunshine are perfect for preserving aircraft fuselages and parts until they can be cannibalised or, in some cases, the aircraft can be revived and brought back to life.
But in the UK there are also some storage and scrapping locations which don’t enjoy the same dry weather, but are still very active in processing older and unwanted aircraft.
Kemble Cotswold Airport
Belfast scrapping compound. Photo (c) David Stevens
Probably the most famous of the UK’s airliner storage and scrapping locations is Cotswold Airport at Kemble in Gloucestershire.
It’s located just outside the town of Cirencester and has been involved in scrapping for decades, with a regular stream of aircraft of all sizes coming and going.
In fact, it’s so popular with spotters that we run the Kemble Storage Page on this website which keeps track of the current aircraft inmates and status. Why not bookmark it!
St Athan
Second to Kemble (or maybe even first) is St Athan airport near Cardiff in Wales. This site has become very busy since the Covid-19 pandemic when many airliners were retired.
It sees arrivals every week from all over the world, which are often scrapped fairly quickly owing to the lack of space for such a number of aircraft.
Norwich Airport
Braathens aircraft in storage at Norwich. Photo (c) Alan Wilson
The regional airport at Norwich has never been particularly busy as a storage and scrapping location, but always seems to have some airliners present.
In recent years aircraft stored and scrapped here have included the former Avro RJ fleet of Braathens Regional.
Teesside International
Again, not busy by any standards, Teesside has at least grown over recent years as a scrapping location. A base by Willis Asset Management sees many of the aircraft and engines on their books coming in for work or long term storage/scrapping. Recently a number of former easyJet Airbus A319s have found their way here.
Cranfield
The airport in Bedfordshire used mostly as a training base by Cranfield University also sees various aircraft coming in for part out and storage.
At present there’s a range of BAe 146 and Avro RJ airframes present.
Lasham
One of the original scrapping and storage airports in the UK, Lasham in Hampshire has a long history as a military, gliding and airliner maintenance base.
Whilst quieter in recent years, there are usually a few airliners present which are undergoing work or being parted out.
Airport Spotting Guides UK & Ireland
Visiting these UK airports where airliners are stored and scrapped can be very lucrative for aircraft spotters. This is, after all, the last chance to see them and log them before they are turned to scrap metal. Therefore, you need a guide that will tell you where to spot.
Airport Spotting Guides UK & Ireland lists spotting locations at each of the storage and scrapping airports listed above, as well as around 150 other airports and airfields.
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Kemble Cotswold Airport**