Dassault Aviation recently broke ground on a 175,000-sq-ft Falcon service center at Florida’s Melbourne Orlando International Airport, according to the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast (EDC). The ceremony was attended by EDC and Enterprise Florida officials, local and state representatives, and Dassault Falcon Jet CEO Thierry Betbeze.
Announced a year ago, the $100 million factory-owned service center is expected to open in late 2024 and serve Falcon customers in North and South America. The facility will simultaneously accommodate up to 18 Falcons—including the soon-to-enter-service 6X and in-development 10X—providing aircraft inspections, repairs, and overhauls such as line maintenance and C-checks, as well as engineering and modification services. It will also include a 54,000-sq-ft paint shop and serve as a regional Falcon parts distribution hub.
Dassault selected Melbourne as the site for its maintenance facility because of the area’s skilled workforce, which includes about 35,000 people employed in aviation and aerospace. The region is also home to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the Florida Institute of Technology.
Melbourne marks Dassault’s latest move to bolster its service support in the U.S., where it recently added service capacity at its Little Rock, Arkansas completions center and service centers in St. Louis, Missouri; Stuart, Florida; and Reno, Nevada. Meanwhile, Dassault last week announced a new Falcon service center in Brazil at São Paulo Catarina International Executive Airport.