- Admin
- #1
A fascinating bit of tracking data caught my eye back in December. I watched TUI send one of their early Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners (G-TUID) on a final ferry flight down to Kemble to be scrapped on Wednesday, 10 December 2025.
While we are well used to seeing older 777s or A330s head off for recycling, watching a relatively modern, composite-built Dreamliner get broken up at just twelve years old felt like a real turning point to me. It makes me wonder whether the combination of upcoming major D-checks, engine overhaul cycles, and the availability of newer, slightly more efficient configurations means airlines are deciding these early-generation next-gen widebodies just aren't worth the mid-life investment anymore.
Are we going to see this become a trend with the early-build 787s and A350s as they hit that twelve to fifteen-year bracket, or do you think this was just a specific fleet-slimming exercise for TUI? I’d love to know what everyone else thinks about how the second hand market for these frames is shaping up.
You can see a clear video of the final flight arriving at the scrapping facility here: TUI 787-8 G-TUID Final Landing into Kemble. This footage captures the actual moment the aircraft touched down on the wet runway on December 10, showing just how abruptly the operational life of this modern jet ended.
While we are well used to seeing older 777s or A330s head off for recycling, watching a relatively modern, composite-built Dreamliner get broken up at just twelve years old felt like a real turning point to me. It makes me wonder whether the combination of upcoming major D-checks, engine overhaul cycles, and the availability of newer, slightly more efficient configurations means airlines are deciding these early-generation next-gen widebodies just aren't worth the mid-life investment anymore.
Are we going to see this become a trend with the early-build 787s and A350s as they hit that twelve to fifteen-year bracket, or do you think this was just a specific fleet-slimming exercise for TUI? I’d love to know what everyone else thinks about how the second hand market for these frames is shaping up.
You can see a clear video of the final flight arriving at the scrapping facility here: TUI 787-8 G-TUID Final Landing into Kemble. This footage captures the actual moment the aircraft touched down on the wet runway on December 10, showing just how abruptly the operational life of this modern jet ended.
