Rolls-Royce is at EBACE poised to mark the 2,000th aircraft on its CorporateCare power-by-the-hour programme, as the fleet of business aircraft powered by its engines continues to grow.
Although the UK propulsion specialist missed out to rivals Pratt & Whitney Canada and General Electric on the in-development Gulfstream and Bombardier Global programmes, respectively, it has a strong position in the larger cabin segments thanks to the top-selling BR700 series-powered Gulfstream G550/650 and Global 5000/6000, as well as the Embraer Legacy 650 and Cessna Citation X, powered by the AE3007.
“For the last 16 years we have been the market leader in terms of deliveries in the segments we compete in,” says Steve Friedrich, vice-president of R-R in North America. “And we are still well positioned for growth.”
The number of aircraft enrolled on R-R’s aftercare offering stood at 1,930 just before EBACE. “We have gone from 550 in 2005 to just over 1,000 in 2010, and we are on target to reach 2,000 this year,” says Friedrich. “We are still getting 70% of all new deliveries.”
Friedrich puts CorporateCare’s growth down to operators appreciating “the intrinsic value of the product” and wanting to “take the risk out of their operation”. He adds: “Our large-cabin customers are very demanding so we have to deliver industry leading service.”
He maintains the programme “increases velocity of sales”. When an aircraft covered by CorporateCare changes hands, Rolls-Royce will typically cancel the old contract and offer a new 10-year deal. “If the seller has been up to date with payments, there is not a transfer fee. The buyer simply signs a new contract,” says Friedrich.
Rolls-Royce will also announce an expansion of its authorised service network at the show. There are 57 centres worldwide offering maintenance and aircraft-on-ground (AoG) assistance.
Source: Flight Daily News