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With Bombardier Business Aircraft’s introduction into service of the Global 7500, the Canadian airframer and Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS) have put in place options to support servicing of the flagship jet in Europe, the companies announced today. Bombardier has certified seven line maintenance stations for the 7500, while LBAS has received EASA Part 145 approval for line maintenance on the aircraft at its Berlin Schoenefeld facility. The moves follow delivery earlier this year of the first of Bombardier’s ultra-long-range, large-cabin jets in the region.
Bombardier’s certified stations are in Paris, Nice, and Cannes, France; Luton, UK; Linz, Austria; and Olbia and Linate, Italy. They are now qualified to perform standard scheduled line maintenance, and unscheduled and AOG maintenance support on the 7500, Bombardier said.
The stations are part of Bombardier’s maintenance support network in the region that includes its mobile response team, as well as its London Biggin Hill service center, which is able to perform tip-to-tail heavy maintenance on the aircraft.
In addition to performing line maintenance at Berlin Schoenefeld, the EASA approval also permits LBAS to offer AOG services to the aircraft type at any of its locations worldwide. “In the near future we will be able to offer the complete range of line and base maintenance services for this aircraft type,” said LBAS CEO Sascha Leitner. “Our hangar in Berlin Schoenefeld has already four maintenance bays capable of receiving the Global 7500. Furthermore, our NDT, batteries, and wheels shops are prepared to handle the extra requests.”
LBAS is partly owned by Bombardier and services the airframer’s Global, Challenger, and Learjet lines.
With Bombardier Business Aircraft’s introduction into service of its flagship Global 7500, maintenance support has taken on greater urgency in Europe in terms of preparing staff and its facilities to perform work on the airplane. “I would say we’re in fairly good shape for the aircraft, delivering the second airplane pretty soon with the rest of the 7500s to come,” v-p of customer support Andy Nureddin told AIN. “We recognize that the European market is an incredibly important market for us, and with the 7500 entering service our key focus is to ensure there is a flawless entry into service for that aircraft in Europe.”
The Canadian airframer and Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS) have put in place options to support servicing of the ultra-long-range jet in Europe, the companies announced last month. Bombardier has certified seven line maintenance stations for the 7500, while LBAS has received EASA Part 145 approval for line maintenance on the aircraft at its Berlin Schoenefeld facility. The moves follow delivery earlier this year of the first 7500 in the region.
Bombardier’s seven certified stations are in Paris, Nice, and Cannes, France; Luton, UK; Linz, Austria; and Olbia and Linate, Italy. They are now qualified to perform standard scheduled line maintenance, and unscheduled and AOG maintenance support on the 7500.
The stations are part of Bombardier’s maintenance support network in the region that includes its Mobile Response Team as well as its London Biggin Hill service center, which is able to perform tip-to-tail heavy maintenance on Bombardier aircraft and is in the process of earning its 7500 maintenance certification, Nureddin explained. “We’ve invested in the tooling, the training of the technicians, the training of the field reps, of course the training of the folks here that are doing all the customer support, the customer response center, and some select partners,” he said.
Those select partners include LBAS, which in addition to receiving EASA approval to perform 7500 line maintenance at Berlin Schoenefeld, also allows it to offer AOG services to the aircraft type at any of its locations worldwide. “In the near future we will be able to offer the complete range of Line and Base Maintenance Services for this aircraft type,” LBAS CEO Sascha Leitner said. “Our hangar in Berlin Schoenefeld has already four maintenance bays capable of receiving the Global 7500 business jet. Furthermore, our NDT-, Batteries- and Wheels-Shops are prepared to handle the extra requests.”
LBAS is a joint venture between Bombardier and Lufthansa, and services the airframer’s Global, Challenger and Learjet aircraft.
But preparations to support the 7500 don’t end with staff training and facility certification, Nureddin noted. “A big part of that, of course, is the investment in parts in Frankfurt, our second largest parts hub, which is also receiving some of the 7500 parts.”
Support will be further extended through Bombardier’s 11 Mobile Response Team vans in Europe as well as its recently added Challenger 300, based in Frankfurt. “The Challenger 300 response aircraft is really built on the success that we’ve had with the Lear 45 that we launched almost six years ago in North America,” Nureddin stated. “The philosophy behind it is there’s a force multiplier between the trucks, parts depot and the aircraft. It also gives you a bit of flexibility in terms of shipping large components, controlled substances, hazmat, all that.” Bombardier chose the twinjet because of its size and range, allowing it to support customers who are AOG in not only Europe but also the Middle East. Between the Challenger and Learjet, the company has flown nearly 450 maintenance missions.
Some customers have yet to grasp that the super-midsize Challenger is there to serve them, which Nureddin learned while attending Bombardier’s Maintenance and Operations Conference Europe early last month in Lisbon, Portugal. “They thought it was for hire, like they’d have to pay. And we said, ‘No, it’s part of our service to support our customers.’ Hopefully, this added awareness is going to drive its utilization up. It’s there. It’s dedicated. It’s on hot standby precisely because we want to put it to good use.”