Airbus is reshaping the lifecycle of metals used in aerospace manufacturing as part of its mission to pioneer sustainable aerospace. With the average aircraft serving for over two decades, the challenge is not just about building for longevity—but about what happens to those materials before, during and after their service life. Thanks to advances in key technologies and strategic partnerships, Airbus is now leading efforts to increase the circularity of titanium and aluminium—two of the most critical metals in aviation.

Smarter Use Through Circularity

Circularity is a production model aimed at optimising resource use and minimising waste. For infinitely recyclable metals like titanium and aluminium, this is a logical and urgent shift. While recycling efforts have grown, the pace has not matched global demand for virgin metals. Airbus is determined to change that.

Titanium, known for its high strength, heat resistance and fatigue tolerance, is used in pylons, engines and landing gear. Aluminium, prized for being lightweight and corrosion-resistant, is integral to fuselages, wings and interiors. Airbus is now focusing on reducing consumption, salvaging parts from decommissioned aircraft, and boosting recycling to keep these metals in the aviation loop.

Additive Manufacturing: Less Waste, Lighter Parts

To reduce raw material use from the outset, Airbus is deploying Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM)—a form of 3D printing that builds parts layer by layer using only the material needed. In contrast to traditional forging or milling, ALM eliminates scrap-heavy processes.

Two key ALM techniques are in play:

• Powder Bed Fusion (PBF): Lasers fuse powdered titanium into parts with extreme precision. This method now creates the 32 door latch shafts for every A350, cutting part weight by 45%—saving over four kilograms per aircraft, and up to 126,000kg in CO₂ emissions over a 20-year lifecycle.
• Directed-Energy Deposition (DED): Melts titanium wire using lasers to build large, near-net-shape parts. DED reduces material waste and lead times, and is already producing parts for A350 aircraft.

From Scrap to Sky: Recycling Titanium

Titanium scrap is a valuable resource. Since 2024, Airbus has partnered with EcoTitanium, the first European venture offering recycled aerospace-grade titanium, to recover scrap from its French and German production sites.

In June 2025, Airbus and EcoTitanium completed a milestone: the first ingot made from end-of-life titanium scrap—reclaimed from an Airbus pylon—was manufactured for future airframe parts. This ingot, made in collaboration with IMET Alloys and Aubert & Duval, marks a breakthrough in reintroducing secondary titanium into aerospace manufacturing. Notably, the EcoTitanium process consumes four times less energy than producing titanium from sponge.

Closing the Loop with Aluminium

Airbus has also teamed up with aluminium giants Constellium and Novelis to implement closed-loop recycling across five Airbus sites. The goal: track, collect, remelt and reuse aluminium scrap, improving traceability and standardising recycled content calculations.

Beyond manufacturing, Airbus and Tarmac Aerosave—in partnership with Constellium—have succeeded in recycling fuselages into new aluminium alloys suitable for aerospace use. The process slashes energy use by 95% compared to primary aluminium production and cuts emissions by the same margin.

Reuse: Extending the Lifecycle of Parts

When an aircraft retires, VAS Aero Services, a subsidiary of Airbus-owned Satair, dismantles it. Reusable parts—such as engines, landing gear, and APUs—are refurbished and resold. The rest is scrapped and recycled. With traceability checks for every component, this end-of-life strategy maximises both environmental and economic returns.

The Road Ahead

Achieving full circularity across an aircraft’s value chain is complex but possible. “Creating a circular economy for aerospace materials is a complex journey, but we are making significant progress,” says Isabell Gradert, VP of Central Research & Technology at Airbus.

While challenges remain, Airbus is moving steadily toward a future where every piece of metal used in aviation can be reused or recycled—without compromising safety or performance. By embracing innovation and collaboration, Airbus is setting a new standard for resource stewardship in aerospace.