Already-packed airplane storage sites expect an influx of more grounded aircraft

Hundreds of airliners idled by the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the travel industry and other circumstances crowd a southern Arizona airfield where workers are trying to make room for even more aircraft that may not take to the skies again soon. Pinal Airpark just off Interstate 10 between Casa Grande and Tucson, as of last week was providing storage space for approximately 270 aircraft, and manager Jim Petty said most of them were there because of the pandemic. About 402km away in Arizona, officials at Kingman Municipal Airport hopes to also attract some of the plane-storage business as airlines ground more aircraft and move others to longer-term storage locations. The region’s warm, dry climate is considered ideal for mothballing aircraft. Airpark can probably accommodate an additional 100 planes, depending on how big they are, said Jim Petty, Pinal County’s airport economic development director. “The balloon isn’t ready to pop yet, but it’s getting pretty big,” Petty said. “We can still push it. Until every square inch is used, it’s not full.” Airlines parking planes at Pinal Airpark include Delta, Air Canada and JetBlue which also has 20 planes parked at nearby Marana Regional Airport. The president of Jet Yard, one of two aircraft storage and maintenance companies that operate at Pinal Airpark, said he expects it to get “a hell of a lot busier” in coming months.<br/>