Intelligent Circular Aviation: AI-Enabled Strategies for Sustainable Aircraft End-of-Life Management

Abstract

This article examines the contribution of artificial intelligence (AI) to aircraft end-of-life (EOL) management, structured around the strategies of reduce, reuse, recover, recycle, and landfill. Through a systematic literature review covering 2015–2025 and analyzing 76 selected articles, this study identifies how digital and intelligent technologies support decision-making, traceability, and reverse logistics optimization. The results reveal a dominance of reduction (28%) and recycling (26%) strategies, while reuse (21%) and recovery (22%) remain comparatively underexplored despite their higher value-retention potential. The marginal presence of landfill (3%) confirms its progressive exclusion from sustainable models. The findings highlight a partial misalignment between theoretical emphasis and the specific value-creation logic of the aviation sector. The article proposes a cross-sectoral analytical framework integrating AI-enabled tools and lifecycle thinking to strengthen sustainable aircraft end-of-life management.