Using older aircraft

[AIRizona]

I know I have read a discussion somewhere before about how operating older airframes is expensive but I can't find it anymore. Does the cost of operating an aircraft increase dramatically as it ages?

For example does operating a 30 year old 737-300 cost more than operating a shiny new 737-300 (just picked a random aircraft guys, could be an A320-100 or any other airframe for purposes of this question).

[yearofthecactus]

Yes. Like for like, there are two reasons.

Firstly, maintenance costs. On a brand new 737-300, you'll have relatively low a,b,c,d check costs. On a 30 year old plane, you're looking at maintence of 8-10x more (at least). Narrowbodies like the 737 can go a long time, but even so, they are expensive to run beyond the 3rd D-check really (24 years)..

Secondly, passengers prefer younger, newer frames. So like for like a 737-300 that is brand new should have a higher load factor than an older one.

Also, as older models (not aircraft age this time, but the actual time in production) mature, maintenance costs rise on this front. That means than in 2020, you can buy 737-300 which are usually still in production (because it's a bloody good plane). But a new 737-Max will have lower maintenance costs than a brand new 737-300. Now at this point, it may well be the economics of the 737-300 work out better, because in 2020 it costs 1/3 of the list price of a MAX, and all things considered the cheaper plane works best.

But the main thing to take from the game is each aircraft that comes along is the best it can be for that time, and every passing month, every passing year, costs rise for that plane disproportionately to income. The best planes in the game (the Fokker F27, the 737-200, 737-300, A320, BAC-500, Fokker 100, Embraer 190, Q400) etc etc, are the ones that remain competitive for several decades. But remaining competitive and being economically the best are not the same thing necessarily.

But in answer to your question, flying 30 year old planes is rarely a good idea,

[AIRizona]

Thanks    I knew there was some part of the game that kept you from flying DC-3's until 2035...lol.

[MikeS]

The maximum permitted aircraft age is 35 years if I'm not mistaken. When that is reached, an aircraft can't be scheduled anymore... no matter how well one has
kept it.

[gazzz0x2z]

The usual wisdom is to scrap a bird before it reaches the 24-yo D-Check. Or even before if it's russian steel, whose maintenance costs are getting insane when aging. It's not impossible to push to the 32-yo one, but most players avoid, because the maintenance costs are really getting prohibitive. Plus, generally, as YearOfTheCactus said, you'll find far better airframes on the market at this time of the game.

[freshmore]

The usual wisdom is to scrap a bird before it reaches the 24-yo D-Check. Or even before if it's russian steel, whose maintenance costs are getting insane when aging. It's not impossible to push to the 32-yo one, but most players avoid, because the maintenance costs are really getting prohibitive. Plus, generally, as YearOfTheCactus said, you'll find far better airframes on the market at this time of the game.

Exactly what I was about to write. D Checks are a investment in an air frame so if you aren't going to get a full 7-8 years out of it, I tend no to do it. That menas rd D-check around 24 years is no done for me. Even keeping an old air frame going a few years to wait for a new aircraft type to replace it is stupid, much better to look for a decent one on the used market for the few extra years of service if you need it.

[Cardinal]

Even keeping an old air frame going a few years to wait for a new aircraft type to replace it is stupid, much better to look for a decent one on the used market for the few extra years of service if you need it.

That only works if there are younger examples of your existing fleet available on the UM. I ran into this problem once when I was flying the BAC475 (a plane that someone in another thread correctly dubbed "beast mode"  ) and I had a clear replacement plan but I had over 300 of them. Its planned replacement just happened to launch at the far end of the randomization window (+18 months) in that game and sold out quickly. So while I waited for the new planes to trickle in at the rate of about 5 a year for the first 5 years, I couldn't get enough younger BACs or new replacements from the UM quickly enough. I had several dozen planes blow past the 32-year D-check.

[freshmore]

Completely agree, it's not always possible, to find enough of the right aircraft at the right age to do it. Even if you don't get enough, it's better that getting none at all on that one I think.

[wilian.souza2]

From my own experience, I can say that flying an aircraft between 10 and 15 years old is the best deal for startup airlines. These planes still have a fairly low maintenance cost and, depending on the model, is usually well depreciated, which allows to get an airplane that would cost up to 3x more if ordered new. So, aircraft at this age are good to maintain and good to lease.

You can lease older airplanes, too, but I wouldn't recommend aircraft older than 20 years old. Some aircraft at 18 years would be good if you lease at a really low price and for a short period (1-1.5 years). An aircraft nearing 20 y.o. usually has maintenance costs almost 2x of an airplane at 12 y.o., based on my experience with American aircraft...