Bombardier will open its first wholly-owned service centre in the UK later this year, with London Biggin Hill airport home to the new operation.
The move is part of the airframer’s strategy to beef up its maintenance provision across Europe, where up to five more facilities are planned in 2016.
The Biggin Hill base, branded the London Service Centre, will offer complete “tip-to-tail” heavy maintenance capabilities, within 3,070m² (33,000ft²) of hangar space.
“It will be fully equipped to perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance,” says Bombardier, as well as modifications, avionics installations, and aircraft on ground (AOG) support for the Learjet, Challenger and Global business jet families.
“Enhancing our service and support in the UK is a top priority, as our aircraft installed base in the region is significant and growing,” says Bombardier Business Aircraft vice-president and general manager, customer services, Andy Nureddin. The Europe, Middle East and Africa region is its second largest market, with 580 jets based there, he adds.
Bombardier
In its latest business aircraft market forecast, Bombardier predicts 1,530 deliveries of light, midsize, large-cabin and long-range jets in Europe between 2016 and 2025 – the largest shipment total by continent after North America in addition to 350 in the Middle East and a further 200 in Africa.
Bombardier currently has three maintenance facilities in the region: Berlin-based LBAS – a joint venture with Lufthansa Technik and ExecuJet; Amsterdam in the Netherlands; and a line-maintenance facility in Nice, France.
Speaking at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in May, Nureddin said Bombardier was looking at adding up to six new facilities across Europe before the end of 2016.
“As our fleet continues to grow, we are looking to add additional support for our customers,” he said. “Our focus is on high-traffic areas.”
He declines to identify which locations the company is eyeing, but a snapshot of Bombardier business jet departures in Europe for the last two years, provided by data services company WingX Advance, reveals Geneva, London, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Nice, Paris, and Zurich as the top eight destinations for its customers.
Source: Flight International
