The 25 Largest Aircraft Graveyards in the World, Ranked

Located just outside Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, Manas International Airport features a secluded desert apron where retired Soviet-built aircraft sit in storage. Soviet-era freighters and Cold War passenger planes remain parked under the dry mountain air as relic airframes.

Boasting one of the longest commercial runways in the southern hemisphere at over 16,000 feet, Upington Airport provides exceptionally dry Kalahari desert conditions. Major airlines store grounded wide-body airliners here to protect avionics and metal fuselages from humid corrosion.

Originally opened during World War II, Bruntingthorpe served as an iconic British airfield where aviation salvage companies scrapped retired Boeing 747s and stored historic British jetliners. Its wide runway preserves decades of commercial and military aviation milestones.

During World War II, this North Carolina airfield trained combat glider pilots. Today, the facility operates as a prominent aircraft dismantling depot where commercial Boeing and McDonnell Douglas passenger jets are systematically stripped of parts and recycled.

Immediately following World War II, Walnut Ridge became one of five major War Assets Administration disposal depots. Over 10,000 surplus warplanes, including B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators, were systematically melted down into aluminum ingots on these tarmac pads.

Tupelo Regional Airport hosts specialized aviation demolition contractors who dismantle retired regional jets and narrow-body airliners. The facility rapidly parts out engines, landing gear, and titanium components before crushing older airframes.

After operating with minimal traffic for years, Castellon Airport successfully reinvented itself into a primary European aircraft parking and dismantling hub. Modern airliners from across the continent now fill its aprons awaiting heavy maintenance or teardown.

With one of the longest runways in North America at 13,500 feet, Grant County International Airport serves as a massive staging and overflow storage center. Aerospace manufacturers and commercial operators park hundreds of airliners across its wide expanses.

Located in central France, Chateauroux-Deols is widely recognized for pilot training, cargo operations, and dedicated end-of-life aircraft disassembly. Its parking areas frequently house decommissioned Airbus wide-body jets being parted out.

Built on the former grounds of Norton Air Force Base in Southern California, this airfield handles extensive commercial aircraft storage and disassembly. Large cargo freighters and twin-engine jetliners line the tarmac as technicians salvage high-value flight components.

Located in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales, MOD St Athan hosts eCube Solutions, one of Europe's largest aircraft disassembly operations. The facility disassembles dozens of commercial passenger jets each year, harvesting components for worldwide reuse.

Cotswold Airport, formerly known as RAF Kemble, is the headquarters of Air Salvage International. The former Red Arrows home now welcomes retired Boeing 747s and Airbus A320s, dismantling them with environmental care to recover structural metals.

Set against the French Pyrenees, Tarbes serves as the flagship storage and dismantling hub for Tarmac Aerosave. The site made aviation headlines as the first European facility selected to retire and scrap colossal double-deck Airbus A380 superjumbos.

Situated in the Mojave Desert along the edge of the El Mirage dry lakebed, this private aviation graveyard stores dozens of retired transport planes and airliners. The exceptionally dry desert air prevents rust, preserving aluminum frames for decades.

Originally established as a naval air facility for mothballing thousands of carrier warplanes after World War II, Phoenix Goodyear Airport remains a bustling desert hub. Commercial carriers park surplus jetliners here under constant sunshine and low humidity.

Recognized as the birthplace of Russian aviation, Khodynka Aerodrome closed to operational flights and left dozens of legendary Mikoyan, Sukhoi, and Ilyushin Cold War prototypes sitting abandoned outdoors before redevelopment reshaped the historic runway.

Nestled in the arid Australian outback, the Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage facility at Alice Springs offers optimal preservation conditions. During global travel halts, dozens of international airlines flew wide-body jetliners here for safe, moisture-free storage.

Kingman Airport served as a major disposal station for surplus combat planes in 1945, melting thousands of fighters and bombers. Today, commercial airliners from across the United States remain parked in long rows along the high-desert runways.

Designed from inception specifically for industrial storage, maintenance, and recycling, Teruel Airport features an arid plateau climate free of commercial passenger congestion. Over one hundred grounded airliners fill its pads during aviation downturns.

Formerly Walker Air Force Base, Roswell International Air Center provides expansive concrete aprons and dry New Mexico air. Airlines from around the world park retired wide-body jets here, where active recycling crews harvest valuable components.

Tucked into the Sonoran Desert northwest of Tucson, Pinal Airpark serves as one of the world's primary commercial airliner storage and reclamation hubs. The dry alkaline soil and low rainfall keep hundreds of jetliners in pristine condition.

Located on the edge of the Mojave Desert, Victorville was once George Air Force Base. Today, it hosts hundreds of grounded passenger planes, including Boeing 747s, 777s, and Airbus A340s, providing extensive teardown and long-term preservation facilities.

Mojave was the very first commercial facility of its kind in the United States. Its vast expanse of desert sand holds famous commercial jetliners awaiting salvage alongside pioneering aerospace test vehicles and space-launch projects.

Under the provisions of the historic START treaties, dozens of massive Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers were dismantled at designated military depots. Cut into distinct sections with a giant steel guillotine blade, the bombers were left visible to Russian reconnaissance satellites.

Covering 2,600 acres in the Tucson desert, the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group is the largest aircraft boneyard on the planet. Over 4,000 retired military planes, from supersonic fighter jets to heavy transport planes, are preserved in the hard-packed desert soil.