Bombardier Aviation has rapidly expanded its business jet service centre network around the world. Ian Harbison gives us a run-through of the key global developments over an industrious few months.
Over the course of just six months last year, Bombardier Aviation opened four new service centres and broke ground on a fifth. This remarkable expansion is designed to support the growing list of Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft operators and will more than double the company’s aftermarket footprint to close to 1,000,000sq ft.
At the official opening of the London Biggin Hill Service Centre last November, Jean-Christophe Gallagher, then speaking as executive vice president, services and support and corporate strategy (now EVP of aircraft sales and Bombardier Defense), said three primary factors are at play.
Firstly, the business aviation sector is in one of its boom periods at the moment. Many passengers who normally travelled at the front of scheduled aircraft before the pandemic tried private charters during the crisis as a ‘safer’ alternative. Hooked, significant numbers either continued to charter or even acquired their own jets – Bombardier has a $1.2bn order backlog for the next two years. Even the number of aircraft fo…
