Story ID: 
Bombardier First OEM to Earn AFRA Accreditation
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: Bombardier has become the first OEM to earn accreditation from the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) following a two-day audit of CRJ100/200 tear
Word Count: 198
Bombardier has become the first OEM to earn accreditation from the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) following a two-day audit of CRJ100/200 tear-downs at the manufacturer’s service centers in Bridgeport, W.Va., and Tucson, Ariz. AFRA, a 42-member nonprofit industry association, promotes best practices for salvaging and recycling components taken from aging aircraft during disassembly.Bombardier announced last August that it would work with Magellan Aircraft Services of Charlotte, N.C., to disassemble CRJ100/200 regional jets, refurbish usable components and remarket them to operators. Bombardier estimates that each of the 10 CRJ100/200 aircraft covered under the initial agreement and managed by Bombardier Commercial Aircraft's Asset Management Group contains an estimated 1,500 serviceable parts, including 300 line replaceable units. Magellan won AFRA accreditation in December and will facilitate access to genuine, certified parts for operators of CRJ aircraft around the world through its global network.Established in 2006, AFRA’s businesses concentrate on environmentally responsible management of aircraft as they reach the end of their life cycles. Last year AFRA member facilities performed 30 percent of the world’s aircraft fleet recycling. Its members recycled 217,000 tons of aluminum and 3,700 tons of high-strength alloys; it returned some 600 tons of used aircraft parts to service.