When Charles Rolls and Henry Royce formed their company in 1904, they didn’t have today’s world of paid spokespersons, million-dollar marketing budgets, and internet “influencers” to help build their reputation for superior engineering, quality manufacturing, and value.
But that’s what they achieved. So it wasn’t long before the Rolls-Royce marque became synonymous with “the very best” by any measure.
When Rolls-Royce Business Aviation was founded over 65 years ago, the commitment was made to do whatever it took to provide owners of Rolls-Royce-powered aircraft with the same unequalled “ownership experience” the company had become renowned for.
And while that original vow remains as strong as ever, the company knew that business-aircraft operators were demanding more than just reliable engines; they wanted increased reliability and predictable ongoing maintenance costs.
“We were an innovator within the Business Aviation space to offer a fully comprehensive fixed-cost engine maintenance program,” explains Rolls-Royce Business Aviation’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Lindsey Gillen. “When we introduced the CorporateCare program, we not only helped operators control costs but also ensured that those engines were maintained to the highest standards.”
With CorporateCare Enhanced, the best gets much better.
As innovative and popular as the original maintenance program was, Rolls-Royce Business Aviation customers wanted CorporateCare to expand to provide even more coverage and increased value.
“Based on direct feedback from members of our Corporate Customer Council, we introduced CorporateCare Enhanced in 2019,” she continues. “It covers even more services and parts, making it the most comprehensive engine program in business aviation.”
Just how all-encompassing is the CorporateCare Enhanced coverage? When an operator’s BR- or Pearl-series engine is enrolled, the entire power unit—including the nacelle-related components, thrust-reverser, and all Rolls-Royce-supplied parts—is 100% covered.
“Rolls-Royce’s responsibility not only includes parts and repairs, but also unlimited troubleshooting and AOG mobile repair team travel, and any other related costs,” Gillen says. “The goal of CorporateCare Enhanced is to give our customers unwavering confidence and peace of mind that they are well looked after, no matter where in the world they fly.”
This Bermuda trip was no vacation
So, just how far will Rolls-Royce Business Aviation go to provide seamless support to its business aviation customers? Well, recently, a CorporateCare Enhanced-enrolled aircraft became AOG after landing at L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA) in Bermuda.
While the island is just 600 miles east of the U.S., the British Overseas Territory is totally dependent on cargo ships and planes for its support, which makes finding available space to transport a replacement engine and associated parts extremely challenging.
“We learned that getting a slot on a scheduled cargo flight would take weeks, even if we were granted floorspace,” Gillen explains. “That wasn’t acceptable, so we chartered a 767 and flew the lease engine, tooling, equipment, and On-Wing Services technicians to the island.”
“Even with all the logistical and scheduling issues, the hard work and dedication of the team at our Aircraft Availability Center in Berlin were able to get the engine changed and aircraft cleared for flight before the owner was originally scheduled to leave,” she continues. “And it was all done at no additional cost to our customer.”
Of course, none of this would have been possible if the required lease engine, components, and technical expertise weren’t immediately available to fly to Bermuda. Some manufacturers are suffering from long wait times for replacement engines. Not Rolls-Royce Business Aviation.
“We pride ourselves on our global service network and its ability to support 100% aircraft availability. Those are two things we are totally focused on because that is what our customers expect,” Gillen says. “Rolls-Royce Business Aviation has invested over one billion dollars in our service network, including inventory of replacement engines, nacelle assets, and spare parts.”
“We have 85 Rolls-Royce Business Aviation Authorized Service Centers, 10 dedicated CorporateCare spare parts stores, and 85 on-wing technicians across the globe, and 25 customer managers, all coordinated through our Aircraft Availability Center,” she adds. “We also have 250 lease engines and nacelle assets available. We’re pleased to report that we have not experienced an AOG due to the lack of a lease engine or spare part.”
Value in the air, with even more value on the bottom line
Of course, enrolling engines on CorporateCare or CorporateCare Enhanced does come with a price. But as Warren Buffett says, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
In this case, that value is knowing that the price of the program’s coverage is fixed, while the actual costs of repairing your engines, nacelles, and thrust-reversers are as unpredictable as a herd of cats.
“We look at the value of being enrolled in CorporateCare Enhanced and what that costs,” Gillen explains. “For a BR710-series engine, for example, Enhanced covers 170 more high-value parts and services than our classic CorporateCare program.”
“So, if you were to look at what that added value actually means to the typical operator over 10 years,” she continues, “if their aircraft were not covered by CorporateCare Enhanced, it would cost about $3.9 million to inspect, maintain, and repair damage and corrosion to the engines, nacelles, and thrust-reversers over that time.”
Another value-added benefit she noted is that even if you must replace the same component multiple times due to damage or corrosion, it’s all completely covered by CorporateCare Enhanced.
Of course, many operators enjoy years of reliable service from their aircraft, with little more than routine inspections and maintenance. That’s what Rolls-Royce Business Aviation strives for.
But, even so, sooner or later, every aircraft finds itself with a “For Sale” sign in the window. And that’s when many owners realize the added intrinsic value of having their aircraft enrolled in CorporateCare Enhanced.
“Being enrolled in our programs has proven financial benefits at resale time,” Gillen explains. “Historically, aircraft enrolled on Rolls-Royce Business Aviation’s CorporateCare and CorporateCare Enhanced programs sell faster and for more money than similar aircraft that are not covered.”
“Another selling point is that as long as the previous owner has maintained their aircraft’s enrollment in CorporateCare or CorporateCare Enhanced, that coverage is totally transferable to the new owner with no additional fees,” she continues. “So, from day one, the new owner can fly with total peace of mind in knowing that they will never incur costs for qualified repairs.”
Gillen concludes by saying, “I think what sets CorporateCare Enhanced apart and illustrates its value is that it is totally comprehensive coverage and transfers all of the risk to Rolls-Royce Business Aviation. It makes it easy for owners to manage costs by removing unexpected expenses,” she continues. “Our number one focus is on aircraft availability, and we do this by investing in our service network to deliver Rolls-Royce-level services like value enhancement, priority access, and premier support.”