Wings clipped , noses cut off , stripped down to the bone , these old birds will never fly again . But the giant hangar at the home of Tarmac Aerosave is not a graveyard for planes -- it 's a recycling yard . Tarmac Aerosave has been dismantling disused aircraft at its base in `` Aerospace Valley '' -- a cluster of French flight engineering firms near the town of Tarbes in southern France -- since it was formed in 2009 . Although the company 's primary business remains aircraft storage , it has stripped 12 planes completely since its inception . `` We receive an old aircraft ... and completion of this work ( is ) when all the material can be reused , '' says Sebastien Medan , head of dismantling at the French aerospace company . Where planes go to die . The parts salvaged during this process are repackaged and repurposed . Landing gear and wing flaps are shipped out to be reinstalled in new planes while cockpits are reborn as flight simulators . All parts that are saved can be sold on by the aircraft owners . The remaining waste and scrap metal , meanwhile , is broken down for resale by Tarmac . `` The percentage of the aircraft to be recycled is around 87 % ( and ) actually we expect to rise that to 90 % '' says Medan . See also : In-flight phone calls to become standard . With Tarmac 's parent company , Airbus , predicting that more than 9,000 aircraft will be retired or withdrawn from service over the next 20 years , there 's a clear need for aging planes to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner . By relieving retired models of their most valuable assets , Tarmac also believes it can transform airplane recycling into a lucrative business and one that makes sense for airlines looking to dispose of old models . The cost of storing a disused aircraft can be as much as €20,000 ( $ 25,000 ) per month . This compares to a one-off cost of between €100,000 and €150,000 ( between $ 125,000 and $ 185,000 ) to tear down a plane , stripping it of items that can be reused or sold on at a profit . A conductor who loves the sound of fighter jets : These people really love to fly . `` All the materials we take out from each aircraft could be used in other industry , especially aeronautical industry , '' says Medan . While the efficiency savings this process brings are obvious , Tarmac also believes that dismantling old planes will allow engineers to better design more efficient aircraft in the future . Understanding how parts erode , decay or develop over time will allow them to transfer that knowledge into new designs . `` We are collecting in-service aircraft components to asses the remaining characteristics and capability in terms of stress and fatigue , '' says Olivier Malavallon , project director of business development and change at Airbus . `` It 's crucial in terms of experienced feedback in better designing the aircraft and providing to the designer some guidance -- how best we can assemble things together where things are fitting better . '' As it stands , Tarmac 's site in southern France can cater for 20 aircraft at a time , the company says . Across the border in northern Spain , however , a new site is being prepared by one of the company 's subsidiaries . It will be able to store 200 planes at a time , and strip down between 30 and 40 models a year . According to Malavallon this expansion will enable Tarmac to prepare for the coming influx of retiring planes . It will also ensure aircraft are disposed of in a way that is efficient and makes the most of valuable materials . Instead of `` going from cradle to grave , '' he says , airplanes will go from `` cradle to cradle . '' You told us : Top 5 spots for plane geeks . Ayesha Durgahee is the resident reporter on CNN 's Business Traveller . Follow Ayesha on Twitter at @ AyeshaCNN .
Tarmac Aerosave recycles disused aircraft at its plant in southern France . The company has been working with the French government to develop a new generation of biofuels that can be used on planes and ships as well as cars. Tarmac believes recycling old aircraft could save airlines considerable amounts of money .