Ask Captain Lim ~ All about Aviation

Firstly, how old can an airplane be considered as old?  There was no consensus but manufacturers came up with a figure of twenty years as the intended economic life.  Soon twenty years became the average age of US fleets. Today, manufactures and airlines refuse to agree on when old is too old because the life span of an airplane can be extended.

All aircraft components have a lifespan that is monitored very closely. When they are due for replacement, the components must be changed and the licensed aircraft engineers are under a duty to certify its replacement. Unlike a car where most people only replace a particular part when it breaks down, a fully serviceable component in an aircraft must be replaced when the life, measured in terms of hours are due.  Therefore, an older aircraft with new components after a major overhaul is almost just as good as ‘new’.  Hence the reluctance to establish a definite age for a plane when it can be considered as a geriatric jet!

Some Airlines use the average age of the fleet to promote their image.  Singapore Airlines  claim to have one of the youngest fleet in the world yet their ranking is below that of Qantas. Some of the newest jets are Boeing 777, Airbus 330, Airbus 340, Boeing 737-400 and above, Boeing 747-400 series, Fokker 70, Embrader 145, MD-11, MD-90 and the Saab 2000.