Azorra’s president says the company benefitted by being first to tear down an A220 for parts.
US lessor Azorra’s decision to part-out four Airbus A220s last year came down to simple economics amid an industrywide parts shortage – and Delta Air Lines’ need for A220 components.
The tear-downs made news because they involved a relatively new aircraft type and aircraft that were only several years old. The move reveals the lengths some companies have gone to maintain operational resiliency.
Azorra president Ron Baur says the parts shortage – a consequence of engine-durability problems, post-pandemic supply chain constraints and tariff-related import complications – simply made the A220s worth less than the value of their individual components.
“People often ask, ‘It was a young airplane. Did you not have an opportunity to fly them?’” Baur tells FlightGlobal. “That wasn’t the case at all. We actually had those airplanes placed with operators, but the economics were better to part the aircraft out.”
Azorra disclosed last year that it and Delta Material Services, Delta Air Lines’ in-house component provider, were tearing down an A220-300 “to help alleviate the parts shortages contributing to global aircraft-on-ground (AOG) challenges”.
The lessor and Delta Material ultimately parted-out four A220s – jets that were five and six years old – to support Delta and other carriers, according to Azorra and fleet data provider Cirium.
Scrapping perfectly good aircraft for parts is nothing new. The relative values of aircraft and their parts have long ebbed and flowed in response to market conditions, making part-outs more or less economically viable.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, parts shortages have been widespread, driving up values as airlines have sought to keep their jets flying.
But factors leading those four A220s to be scrapped stretch back further and involve other market forces.
Engine Issues
The jets that met their demise with Delta Material were among 12 A220-300s EgyptAir acquired between 2019 and 2020. That airline had high hopes for the small narrowbodies but found their Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PW1500G geared turbofans (GTFs) less durable than expected.
“They operated the aircraft in a very hot, dusty environment, and the engine really wasn’t mature enough to do well in that environment,” says Baur.
EgyptAir was not alone. Airlines globally have struggled with GTF durability problems, including from an issue involving defective metallic parts – the result of manufacturing defects – that prompted P&W in 2023 to recall the engines.
The recall remains in effect and has left hundreds of aircraft grounded at any time. It has affected all GTF variants, including the PW1100Gs that power A320neo-family jets, the A220’s PW1500G and the Embraer E-Jet E2’s PW1900G.
EgyptAir ultimately chose to divest its A220s. Azorra, which carved a niche as a lessor of regional and small-narrowbody aircraft, agreed to acquire them, revealing the deal in February 2024.
Finding airlines to take over operating the jets was no problem; Azorra very quickly lined up new lessees, says Baur.
Azorra acquired its first of EgyptAir’s A220s in June 2024 and had them all under ownership by May this year, according to Cirium. It ultimately leased one to Cyprus Airways and seven to US discounter Breeze Airways.
Along the way, Baur says, Azorra was approached by P&W, which expressed interest in getting a better handle on AOGs before adding to the A220’s customer base, says Baur. P&W being a strong longtime partner, Azorra worked out a deal; it agreed to provide some PW1500Gs to P&W, which then leased them to airlines.
Delta Calling
Meanwhile, conversations started with Delta Material, which was seeking parts to support Delta’s sizeable A220 fleet. The carrier now has 91 of the jets, according to Cirium.
“They came to us and said, ‘We need parts for these aircraft. Would you be willing to tear the airplane down and sell it for parts?’” Baur says.
Azorra agreed to provide its other four A220s to Delta Material, which acquired them between April and December 2025, Cirium data shows.
The companies are not alone in scrapping fairly new jets solely to strip them of components.
Swiss has removed A220-100s from service and used their parts to support A220-300s, FlightGlobal has reported. Several companies have also recently been disassembling A320neo-family jets for parts.
“It’s still a robust market. But it’s just supply and demand,” Baur says. “You want to be first to the market, which we were … If you are first, the value of the parts is quite large.”
The post Behind lessor Azorra’s decision to part-out four A220s first appeared on FlightGlobal.