Bombardier Breaks Ground on New Service Center in Miami

Bombardier is continuing to make major expansions throughout its customer support network to keep in line with its strategy of “bringing its planes back home,” the most recent of which involving the October 3 groundbreaking of a $100 million, 300,000-sq-ft service center at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport in Florida.

That center, to be operational in 2020, will double the company’s footprint in Florida and extend its reach in both the U.S. and Latin America.

It also will increase the company’s capabilities in the region covering the gamut of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, modifications, avionics installations, and aircraft on group support for Bombardier’s Learjet, Challenger, and Global lines. In addition, the facility will have paint capabilities.

 Plans call to shift heavy maintenance work and capabilities from its Fort Lauderdale, Florida center, but that base will continue to provide line maintenance.

“By doubling our capacity to support more aircraft and adding new capabilities, our customers will benefit from the peace of mind that comes from our OEM expertise and from reduced aircraft downtime,” said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, vice president and general manager, customer experience.

The newest location is a strategic one for Bombardier because the airport, among the largest general aviation facilities in the region, is home to 60 Bombardier aircraft, Gallagher said.

But as much as it provides capabilities to attract operators to the facility, the space also is important to accommodate aircraft the size of the Global 7500, which takes up 25 percent more space than its fellow Global 6000. Gallagher indicated that Bombardier would trend to larger facilities as the Global 7500 fleet increases.

Nearly all, if not all, of the Bombardier centers can handle the Global 7500 now in terms of hangar space, he added. But the problem is keeping up with an influx of the Global 7500s once deliveries increase. “It’s not a matter of fitting the aircraft, it is a matter that—as so many will enter service—the space will be required,” he said. “We need a lot more square footage to accommodate future demand.”

This will play out as Bombardier continues to increase its network and capabilities, he said, adding, “We will have a high pace of future announcements around the world.”

Worldwide Network Expansion

As the Bombardier fleet has grown to 4,800 aircraft worldwide, the company has invested heavily in recent years, growing its service center network to nine facilities. New locations have come online such as Tianjin, China, and London Biggin Hill. And, six months after adding the London facility, Bombardier announced plans to double capacity there because demand was so great. In existing facilities, upgrades have been ongoing over the past several years, such as the interiors capabilities in Tucson, Arizona.

To keep up with this Bombardier has been hiring throughout the network and is looking for technicians at every location. Gallagher said the company has a “big rally cry” for new workers and have developed an extensive training program with 26 courses to accommodate them. The customer support team now numbers more than 3,000 people, he said, but that number is growing constantly; the new facility in Miami facility will house 300 workers. Bombardier is partnering with local colleges and technical schools to tailor programs and provide opportunities to help build up that technical base.

The service center network is one piece of a comprehensive support approach that also involves six line stations in Europe, 23 mobile response team (MRT) mobile units, 82 field reps, two training centers, 13 regional support offices, what is to become two dedicated customer support aircraft, and a customer response center that provides 24/7 availability from its base in Montreal. “It’s a big dance coordinating all these people,” he said, an effort that furthers the company’s goals of attracting more of its own business.

Along with growing the service center network, Bombardier has invested in the MRTs, which Gallagher said have become a core part of its support strategy. Launched in 2013, the MRTs have been involved in 5,000 missions. 

In addition, the company has stationed a Learjet 45 near Chicago, a location that allows the aircraft to dispatch to bring parts to aircraft around the U.S. It is also in the process of adding a Challenger 300 in Europe, a longer-range aircraft so it can cover a broader territory from North Africa to Russia. The service will come online this fall, and Bombardier is still weighing where it will base the aircraft. However, Gallagher noted that it likely would be somewhere near the company’s parts depot in Frankfurt, Germany.

Capabilities and new product offers have further been a part of the strategy to support the in-service fleet such as Ka-Band retrofits and enhanced cabin refurbishment offerings. One new offering to become available in 2019 will be the retrofit of the Rockwell Collins Fusion cockpit in the Challenger 604.

The company continues to beef up its Smart Parts program, adding new options, such as offering landing gear coverage for the first time. And, to provide more comprehensive tip-to-tail services, it is adding light Challenger Honeywell HTF engine inspection capabilities.

With the Global 7500 set to enter the market, Bombardier also is looking to the “next frontier” in maintenance, he said. That includes using the connected aircraft for real-time maintenance capabilities. While many of Bombardier’s models have this capability at some level, Gallagher said, “The 7500 comes in with much greater capabilities in terms of connecting that aircraft back to Bombardier. In support, this will have amazingly positive repercussions. We will be able to understand more rapidly and be able react more rapidly.” The Global 7500, he added, will have more holistic reporting. “It can connect in ways we have yet to communicate,” he said, calling the aircraft a pioneer on this front.