Manufacturers design modern aircraft with a prescribed lifespan, or ‘design life’ of 25 years. The lifespan includes a specified number of flight hours and flight cycles, which allows the aircraft OEM, owner and operator to expect reliability in terms of service, components and function for a set period of time.
However, in reality these 25 years are not set in stone; aircraft last for both shorter and longer periods. And, it’s against the actual lifespan—or the 'economic life’—of the aircraft that the owner must write down its costs.
Originally published in Airline Fleet Management on April 14, 2015.
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