List and Map of Active and Post-WWII Aircraft Boneyards and Storage Facilities

Military Aircraft Boneyards

Fighter boneyard at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, post World War II

The United States manufactured about 294,000 aircraft for WWII, and once peace was assured the military found itself with a huge surplus of aircraft.

Within a year of the end of the war, about 34,000 airplanes had been moved to 30 sales-storage depots, or "aircraft boneyards".

It was estimated a total of 117,210 aircraft would be declared surplus. 

If a plane was not sold at boneyards such as those at Kingman AAF, Cal-Aero Field, and Walnut Ridge AAF, it was stripped of classified information, sliced up with guillotines, and melted in smelters into ingots.

Today, as Air Force, Navy and Marine planes become obsolete and need to be disposed of, or saved for future return to service, they are stored in the Arizona desert.

Long-term aircraft storage area at Davis-Monthan AMARG (staff photo)

The Air Force Materiel Command's 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) operates the world's largest boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.

Airliner Boneyards, Storage and Parts Reclamation Facilities

Commercial airliners have limited lifespans. Some are temporarily taken off flying status, and must be stored in a environment that is conducive to preservation. Others are kept for spare parts for flying aircraft.

Continental ExpressJets in storage at Kingman Airport in the Arizona desert (staff photo)

To protect airliners during their storage from wind and sun damage, engines and windows are tightly covered with white, reflective materials. A sealed airliner can thus be stored safely, for years, until the time comes to return it to active duty, or salvage.

Eventually, all airliners are removed permanently from service and must be "disposed" of.

Airliner "boneyards" in the western United States serve several functions: temporary storage, maintenance, parts reclamation, and scrapping.

Airliner Storage During the COVID-19 Outbreak in 2020

As anyone that flies, has ties to the aviation industry, or watches TV knows, the worldwide outbreak of the Corona Virus has had a major negative impact on airlines and their fleets, worldwide. Hundreds of planes were being put into temporary storage.

Large Boneyards & Storage Facilities in the Western U.S.

Located in Arizona, California and New Mexico are seven major airplane boneyards, each located in dry, low-humidity desert environments and offering long runways and extensive storage areas. Shown below is a list of these boneyard facilities.

List of Aircraft Storage Facilities and Parts Reclamation Sites in the United States (By State)

Boeing 747 being reclaimed at the Mojave Airport in California (photo courtesy of the Mojave Air and Space Port)

Other Inactive or Abandoned U.S. Aircraft Boneyards

Major Airplane Boneyards Around the World

Huge fleets of surplus aircraft are stored in boneyards in the United States, but also around the world in England, Australia, Spain, France, Russia, South Africa and elsewhere.

Storage facilities such as the apron Aerosave operation at the Teruel Airport in Eastern Spain and Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage (APAS) at Alice Springs in Australia are designed to store and salvage large numbers of airliners.

   and   boneyards around the world

Map of locations of active and post-WWII airplane boneyards and plane storage facilities in the United States and around the world

Spotting Airliners

Identification of individual aircraft models can be hard, considering the number of jet airliners serving the worldwide travel industry, and in desert storage.

Visit our new website and explore guides to spotting the common jet airliners of the day from Airbus, Boeing, Embraer and Bombardier.

... at AirlinerSpotter.com

Where Airliners Go to Die ... and Be Recycled

Airplane Boneyard Tours in the U.S.

Virtually all airplane boneyards and storage facilities are limited access sites and do not allow visitors. We encourage potential visitors to check with individual sites to learn about access policies and tours.

The largest boneyard in the world, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, previously allowed tours of its Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) facility.

In the past, AMARG bus tours have originated at the nearby Pima Air and Space Museum, phone 520.574.0462

At the present time the tour has been indefinitely suspended by request of the U.S. Air Force.

List of Post-WWII Military Aircraft Boneyards, Sales Depots and Disposal Facilities in the U.S.