Cotswolds Airport's Air Salvage International, Where Aviation History Meets Hollywood

Cotswolds Airport. This private airfield is home to an intriguing aspect of the aviation industry – an aeroplane graveyard. For three decades, Mark Gregory's Air Salvage International (ASI) has been dismantling and recycling aircraft at this location near Kemble, Gloucestershire.

Mark Gregory started the business in the early 1990s, using redundancy pay to purchase his first plane. He spent six months breaking it down into marketable parts. The business has since flourished, employing a large team to handle the increasing demand from the aviation sector. The financial stakes are significant, with commercial jets costing around £1 million to maintain. Many aircraft owners opt to send their aging planes to Mark. Recovering reusable components and recyclable materials can yield up to £12 million from a single aircraft.

Impossible," and "Batman." It has also appeared on television shows like "The One Show," "Horizon," "Inside Out," "Terror in the Skies," "Engineering Giants," "Casualty," and "Doctor Who."

Mark Gregory, when not involved in the business, can be seen on the big screen, "piloting" aircraft in cinematic productions. Companies often have specific demands, sometimes requesting up to 2,000 parts from a single jet. Some aircraft components find their way into unexpected places, such as The Swarm rollercoaster at Thorpe Park. Other parts are sold to aviation enthusiasts.

The proceeds from the business are used to fund staff Christmas celebrations. Unexpected discoveries, such as a substantial cocaine haul found in a plane, have also occurred. Another aspect of the operation involves crash site investigation. Mark's team members are sometimes called upon to examine the wreckage of major aviation disasters, assisting in identifying remains and determining the cause of accidents. They were involved in the investigation into the Afriqiyah Airways crash in Tripoli, Libya, in 2010.

Mark Gregory finds it difficult to part with certain unique aircraft. One such plane is a VIP-equipped Boeing 727, formerly part of Saddam Hussein's fleet. This aircraft was seized by Iraqi Airways during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The plane's interior is reminiscent of the 1980s, with plush velour seats, mahogany walls, and glass vases. Before the seizure, the Emir of Kuwait and other royals used this luxurious plane for their travels.