Two Dreamliner aircraft to be scrapped at Prestwick Airport

Two Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft which are only 10 years old are to scrapped for spare parts at Prestwick Airport.

The work will be managed by Dublin-based EirTrade Aviation, an aviation asset management and trading company.

The aircraft are the first Dreamliners to be retired, but the parts will help firms lower their maintenance costs.

First flown commercially in 2011, the 787-8 remains Boeing's flagship widebody aircraft.

EirTrade Aviation chief executive Ken Fitzgibbons said that with the first B787s approaching their 12-year check, the disassembly was ideal for aviation firms looking to source used serviceable material (USM) for their aircraft to reduce the cost of maintenance.

He added: "As no B787s have been retired from commercial service to date, there is almost no USM market for this platform at the moment.

"We are entering into a specialist area and hope to become a market leader in the provision of USM for the platform which will enable the reduction of the cost of maintenance events for B787 aircraft owners."

EirTrade declined to reveal the identity of the owner of the two aircraft which are being scrapped, citing a confidentiality agreement, but it has been reported that they were formerly operated by Norwegian Air Shuttle.

The disassembly process will be co-ordinated in Prestwick and managed by EirTrade, and is expected to take about three months to complete.