Newsgroups: sci.aeronautics.airliners Path: news From: drinkard@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Terrell D. Drinkard) Subject: Re: Economics of new vs. older planes X-Submission-Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 23:46:42 GMT References: Message-ID: Approved: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM Organization: Boeing Sender: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM X-Submission-Message-Id: Date: 29 Dec 92 22:53:50 PST In article John DiMarco writes: >I understand there's an airfield in Arizona where unused airliners are parked >for extended periods. I'm wondering, considering the economic doldrums >most airline companies seem to be in, why these planes are not put into >use in lieu of buying new ones? > >The answer, I think, would depend on the difference in operating costs between >new and older planes. Could someone with a better understanding of these issues >shed some light on this? Solid numbers (eg. purchase prices of new vs. used >planes, fuel consumption differences, etc.) would be highly appreciated. Well, it is not a simple question John asks here. For instance, lots of 727-200s parked at Davis-Monthan, and at Mojave. A used 727-200 Advanced should bring between one and two million (prices are subject to inbelieveable fluctuations). 727s of any sort are no longer available new. The nearest replacement airplane, regardless of what the Boeing PR office may say, is the Airbus A320 - catalog price of about $41 MILLION. Granted, the 727 has a fuel burn half again larger for the same route, same payload, same speed, but it costs a whole lot less to acquire. Unfortunately for 727 owners, they are stage two noise compliant. This means that they will no longer be allowed to operate in the domestic US after 2000 or so. Europe is much the same. This short economic life must be take into account before purchasing our hypothetical 727. Another aspect is if one has already purchased a 757, for instance, then one is still obligated to make the loan payment each month. And the loan payments are huge. So, if you already have the airplane, you may as well put it to work, especially if it is more efficient than some other airplane. Lastly, I'd like to mention that over-capacity is one primary problem that the airlines are trying to deal with. Adding more available seat miles is not a solution. -- Terry drinkard@bcstec.boeing.com "Anyone who thinks they can hold the company responsible for what I say has more lawyers than sense."