Vas Taps $29 Billion Mro Market Through A380 Teardowns

As the Airbus A380’s global operator numbers decline, VAS Aero Services is positioning itself to support the fleet's final chapter through a targeted teardown and used serviceable material strategy—one catalyzed by market demand and long-term MRO dynamics.

In April, VAS announced that it was selected by Airbus to tear down an additional three A380s and manage the sale and harvest of their used serviceable material (USM). “We closed on 84, 69, and 61—MSN 069 is still not closed,” confirms Kevin Ferreiro, senior director of business development at VAS. “MSN 84 and 69 commenced teardowns in February and 61 will start May,” he tells Aviation Week Network. The teardowns are taking place at Tarmac Aerosave’s facilities in Tarbes, France, and Teruel, Spain, with sequential disassembly through July.

VAS’s work comes at a time when A380 operator numbers are projected to fall from 11 today to just six by 2034, according to Aviation Week Network forecast data. Yet, the MRO outlook remains significant: a $29.4 billion forecast in total maintenance demand over the 2025–34 period. That includes $12.3 billion for engines, $3.9 billion for components and $5.4 billion in modifications.

VAS is leveraging its aftermarket expertise to address these needs. “Each airframe harvest list is customized by VAS, driven by overall market demand but also in support of synergy programs we have with groups within Airbus and Satair,” Ferreiro explains. He says harvesting is focused on high-demand components. “VAS prioritizes the harvest list to support long term program customers, including high value and demand equipment such as landing gears, auxiliary power units, avionics, and wheels and brakes,” adds Ferreiro.

For VAS, identifying the A380 as an aftermarket opportunity began early. “We were fortunate back in 2018 to be the pioneer for building the first ever end-of-life aircraft teardown and components reuse solution for a leasing partner,” he says. That experience shaped the company’s approach to what is now more than a dozen A380s under management for dismantlement.

Execution, however, is anything but standardized, Ferreiro notes. “VAS learned early on that this airframe type must be managed in a customized approach compared to any other narrow- or widebody airframe,” he says, citing factors such as teardown vendor selection, higher disassembly and storage costs, logistic, and product yield optimization. He adds that extensive market and product research to optimize yields and close relationships with key end users are central to VAS’s teardown model.

As demand for A380 aftermarket support becomes increasingly concentrated in fewer hands, VAS sees opportunity in life-cycle extension through component recovery and redistribution. “Becoming part of the Airbus group has further validated our commitment to supporting this fleet type for the remainder of its life-cycle,” says Ferreiro.

While the fleet may contract, the maintenance and material value it represents will continue well into the next decade, fueling demand for teardown strategies that preserve both performance and profitability.

It is worth noting that the timing of this latest teardown activity coincides with a modest resurgence in A380 operations. Notably, UK startup Global Airlines, after much controversy and speculation around its business model, officially launched its A380 operations May 15 with inaugural services between Glasgow and New York JFK.