Daher Opens New North American TBM Headquarters in Pompano Beach

Daher opened its new 32,000-sq-ft North American headquarters for its TBM airplane business unit on March 20 at Pompano Beach (Fla.) Airpark. The ribbon-cutting ceremony, presided over by Daher chairman and CEO Patrick Daher, attracted more than 300 attendees and 30 customer-owned TBMs to the airport, coinciding with the TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA) safety seminar. The facility supplants the company's former U.S. base at Fort-Lauderdale-Hollywood North Perry Airport.

“Our new Pompano Beach facility gives us the additional space we need, positions us to better serve customers for years to come and reinforces our enthusiasm for what this business can accomplish in America,” said Nicolas Chabbert, president of Socata North America and senior vice president of Daher’s airplane business unit. “Following the TBM program’s great success, the fleet is growing, with more than 500 TBMs in the U.S. today.”

The hurricane-proof building has two temperature-controlled hangars for the TBM Service Center that can accommodate eight aircraft simultaneously, in addition to storage for spare parts inventory. According to Daher, the new facility enables the company to offer more services for TBM operators and customers, including avionics retrofits, repair activities and aircraft overhaul.

Meanwhile, Patrick Daher confirmed that Daher’s aerospace unit is still seeking to acquire a U.S.-based aerostructures company, “preferably on the East or West Coast,” to fulfill its quest to be a Tier 1 supplier for Gulfstream and Boeing. In Europe, Daher is a Tier I supplier for Airbus and Dassault, manufacturing the fuselages for the latter company’s Falcon 5X, 7X and 8X.