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112012123·

More complicated than buying a used car, but not horrible. The biggest issue is getting seller alignment.

On the cash front, ferry flights to the US are the biggest expense by far. A 777 burns ~$10,000 in fuel per hour, so positioning from (say) Asia to a boneyard in California adds up quickly... with crew, ferry insurance, landing fees & sundries you end up at $200-$250k. Parking runs around $3-5k per month in the desert, too.

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This is a stupid question, but is there any way to monetize a ferry flight like that? Could you still bring along some cargo, or would insurance or increased fuel cost (or perhaps lack of airworthiness for cargo?) make it not worth it?

I figure if you're starting at, say, $150k to ferry it, might as well fill it with some junk.

That is an excellent question - and one that I don't know the answer to. It's something we're looking into.

Incidentally though, the FAA minimum liability coverage for a widebody is $750 million, and the policies I've seen do allow for cargo onboard (though not passengers).

Why is parking in the desert so expensive? Security/insurance? Is the sand bad for the plane?

Location location location?

My guess is that it used to be cheap, but now you’re paying for somewhere with a runway that has space. Then there’s still some maintenance tasks that may or may not be included.

I guess a big question will revolve around “is the airplane completely airworthy for commercial cargo transports”. If you park it in the desert to “die” it is possible the answer is: no. Also adding the complexity that the cargo you transport probably isn’t destined for the desert either.

Ferry permits can be issued to airplanes “not airworthy and operating outside their certified range” if I am not mistaken.

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