Newsletter
ES
Sign in

Aviation glossary

Retirement

Also: withdrawal from service, fleet retirement, final flight

Manufacturing and maintenance

The permanent removal of an aircraft, or of a whole type, from an operator's fleet, whether for sale, conversion, preservation or scrapping.

What it is

When an airline retires an aircraft, its life is not necessarily over. It may be sold to another operator, converted into a freighter, given to a museum or dismantled for parts. The decision is usually economic: fuel burn compared with newer types, the cost of the next heavy check, or the market value of its engines and components.

When a whole type is retired, airlines often bid it farewell with a special final flight. A famous case is Concorde, retired by Air France and British Airways in 2003; several are now on display in museums in Europe and the United States.

On Vuelopedia

In an aircraft record, the dated operator history shows which airlines it has flown for, and the status gives its current situation.

Air France British Airways

Related terms

StorageThe status of an aircraft that stops flying for a time and is parked under a preservation programme while its future is decided. ScrappingThe dismantling of a retired aircraft to recover its usable parts and recycle the rest of the structure for its materials. Preserved aircraftA retired aircraft kept intact for its historical value, in a museum, on public display or, in some cases, in flying condition. Service lifeThe period of use, measured in cycles, flight hours and years, over which the manufacturer has shown that an aircraft's structure withstands fatigue. Freighter conversionThe rebuilding of a used passenger aircraft as a freighter, with a large side cargo door, a strengthened floor and a cabin stripped to take pallets and containers.
Whole glossary

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Retirement. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/retirement

MLA

“Retirement.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/retirement. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Retirement.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/retirement.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Retirement. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/retirement (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_retirement,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Retirement}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/retirement},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/retirement}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/retirement |title=Retirement |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

Explore the encyclopedia

Homethe record of every aircraftAirlinesdocumented fleetsModelsfrom the Airbus A220 to the Boeing 747Compareup to three aircraft, side by sideManufacturerswho builds the aircraft, and their enginesIVCA Rankingair quality, from 0 to 100Newsthe latest from the recordsOn this dayaviation, day by dayVideosone aviation story a day, on videoAirportsthe world's leading onesAccidentswhat every accident changedTimelinethe whole century, 1903 to todayPeoplewho made all of this possibleOn Screenwhen the airliner was the plotTriviaa daily aviation challengeMemoriesa name in an aircraft's historyPresspress releases and Vuelopedia in the mediaYour profilesign in or create your accountAboutwhat Vuelopedia is and who makes it