Scrapped Boeing 747 Airframe Worth Less Than a Piece of Its Landing Gear

At the end of its life, a Boeing 747 is flown to a boneyard, where scrappers dismantle it in stages. Parts are sold to support existing 747 freighters or recycled for other uses. Demand for those parts remains high because many 747 freighters are still in service and the model has been out of production for over three years. The airframe itself fetches a lower price than a single landing‑gear component, illustrating the uneven value distribution of aircraft parts. This dynamic affects the economics of aircraft recycling and the availability of critical components for airlines that still rely on the 747.