Dismantling is more profitable than returning to the sky. An Air Samarkand Airbus A330 has been sent for scrapping. Video

Dismantling turned out to be more profitable than returning to the skies. Air Samarkand's Airbus A330 aircraft has been sent for scrapping. Video

The former wide-body Airbus A330 of Air Samarkand has been scrapped in Istanbul. It turned out that dismantling the airliner for spare parts was more profitable than repairing it and putting it back into service.

Now, only parts remain of Air Samarkand's sole wide-body aircraft. The 2010-built airliner was dismantled at Istanbul Airport: restoration proved less profitable than selling its expensive components.

Air Samarkand ceased flights in the spring of 2026. The A330 itself was last used in May 2025, after which it was sent to Istanbul for a C-Check maintenance. Later, the airline decided to return the aircraft to its Chinese lessor, Minsheng Financial Leasing, as operating it on routes from Samarkand proved commercially unviable.

However, the airliner was ultimately not returned to service. The aircraft, with its former Uzbek registration UK33001, was decommissioned and sent for scrapping.

The reason lay in economics: repairs and heavy maintenance required significant expenditures, whereas selling the CF6-80E1 engines and other expensive components individually proved more profitable.

The published footage shows the airliner being dismantled right on the grounds of Istanbul Airport. Individual elements have already been separated from the fuselage, internal structures are exposed, and the nose and tail sections of the aircraft are visible.

The decision to scrap a 16-year-old aircraft seems harsh, given the global shortage of aircraft. However, the spare parts market today yields more profit than restoring old airliners.

In the fall of 2025, the air carrier Air Samarkand delayed employees' salaries by three months.

Later, the Ministry of Labor took control of the salary delay situation.