Originally Posted by
DaveReidUK
Though presumably reputable aircraft breakers do, otherwise they wouldn't be able to operate.
There must be some monetary value to the metal or people wouldn't go to so much trouble:
"California’s Mojave Air and Space Port keeps fleets of old Boeing, Airbus, and Lockheed aircrafts. The carcasses are picked apart for usable parts, and when there’s nothing of value left,
the remains are melted for scrap metal."
"Once a jet has been stripped bare of usable parts,
its metal frame is redeemed for scrap value. A 747 can fetch up to $55,000 for its scrap alone."
https://www.flexport.com/blog/decomm...salvage-value/