Plane graveyard: Hundreds of jets are parked

[cadence4u]

Plane graveyard: Hundreds of jets are parked in the Arizona desert as coronavirus kills air travel - with many unlikely to ever take to the skies again!

* Pinal Airpark located in the desert in Pinal County, Arizona, is used for storing planes no longer required
* It is home to hundreds of retired commercial and military aircraft - the desert conditions help prevent rusting
* Delta and others have sent planes that are no longer needed there as they drastically reduce operations
* Many of the aircraft early on came from Delta Air Lines. JetBlue has accounted for most of the arrivals in April with Air
   Canada and its low-cost subsidiary, Rouge, having sent about 30 aircraft
* Some older aircraft that were due to be retired in the coming year will now likely not fly ever again
* In the U.S. alone, the numbers of passengers traveling are just 5% what would normally be expected

Stunning aerial pictures show hundreds of aircraft parked in a desert 'boneyard' after airlines including Delta and United placed them in long-term storage as flight operations are cut to around 5% of normal operations due to the coronavirus.

Ranks of jets are seen lined up at Pinal Airpark, 90 miles south of Phoenix, where the dry desert air helps to keep them in good condition and stops them from rusting while they are not being used during the global health crisis.

The 'boneyard' was already home to hundreds of retired commercial and military aircraft but now major airlines have parked up huge amount of their fleets for the foreseeable future.     

Pinal Airpark is the largest commercial aircraft storage facility in the world, but it is not just a parking lot.

Airlines are paying not only for the parking spots and for technicians to ensure that the planes are ready to go should they be needed again.

Many of the aircraft early on in the health crisis came from Delta Air Lines, while JetBlue has accounted for most of the arrivals in April.

Air Canada and its low-cost subsidiary, Rouge, have sent about 30 aircraft.

Canadian airline WestJet had its 737-MAX aircraft stored at the airpark even before the current health crisis, after the entire global fleet was grounded following a pair of horror crashes in 2018 and 2019.

But some older aircraft that were due to be retired in the coming year will now likely not fly ever again, as airlines desperately try to cut costs and save money.

Airlines have been forced to cut back on services due to the coronavirus pandemic, with many countries closing their borders to foreign travelers in unprecedented efforts to flatten the curve of infections.

The demand for travel has plunged worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, as business and leisure travelers cancel their trips.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been publishing information on how many passengers have passed through US airport checkpoints each day, with a comparison to how many traveled on the same day of the week last year.

In the U.S. alone, the numbers of passengers traveling are just 5% what would normally be expected, meaning there has been a whopping 95% decline travel.

Photos & article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8327011/Hundreds-planes-parked-Arizona-desert-giant-boneyard-airbase-remain-storage.html

[countrygirl12]

lol Because no one is flying.  I thought they had opened up flights from China but apparently not because someone who is associated with my church was suppose to be in the area the first of May and I found out yesterday that they are still stuck in China and cannot leave the country. I don't think anybody will view flying the same again.  I don't think anything will be the same again.  Our county has already cancelled an annual event that should have happened the end of August.  The ridiculousness is mind boggling.

[alina6]

I've driven through the plane graveyard in Tucson several times, all before the coronavirus. They had over 3000 military planes all lined up in rows. As you mentioned because of the low humidity they are able to store the planes there without them rusting. I think as time goes on they sell many of the parts to companies and countries who are still flying those planes.

[timvolley]

i am not surprised either because a lot of people dont want to or cant travel due to travel restrictions etc.

[ktheodos]

Not surprised to hear about this....travel is basically non-existent at this point....

[pstovall]

We have a neighbor whose son is in the military and is stuck in Korea because of travel restrictions.  He should have been home weeks ago.  It must be such a disappointment to be trapped in that situation, even if you understand the reasoning behind it.

[ancmetro]

   Some of these old planes are parked there because they are old and will not fly anymore.
If they are unsafe to fly, they will be cannibalized (dismantled) for parts. Some people buy
the fuselage, remove all the old wiring and build a new home inside the bare fuselage shell.
Other famous aircraft will there until someone builds a storage hanger (museum) where they
will on display...like the Spruce Goose in the Evergreen Museum.

[plennis]

It is always weird to see so many planes lined up in the middle of the desert.  The one near me is mostly older planes that will not be flying again, it is basically a junk yard for planes.

[calendria]

 

'The Boneyard Project' resurrects disused warplanes that lie in the famous Boneyard in Arizona by letting graffiti artists paint them.


Disused Jets in U.S. Air Force 'Graveyard' given New Lease of Life by World's Best Graffiti Artists

A cemetery of disused war planes in the scorching Arizona desert has been given a new lease of life – as part of an art project. ‘The Boneyard Project’ resurrects disused warplanes that lie in the famous Boneyard in Arizona by letting graffiti artists paint them. More than 30 of the world’s best artists.