Story ID: 
Bombardier extends global network 
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: Bombardier is boosting aircraft-on-ground (AOG) support in Europe with new operations in Germany and Austria.
Word Count: 452
Bombardier is boosting aircraft-on-ground (AOG) support in Europe with new operations in Germany and Austria. The manufacturer has also announced that it will open two more European service facilities, including line repair stations in Moscow and Paris, this year.Berlin-based Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS) has established a satellite support center at Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss Airport. This will provide a 24/7 urgent repair service for Learjets, Challengers and Globals.The new service begins this month and is being offered in conjunction with Premium Aviation and the MCM Maintenance Center at Munich’s general aviation terminal. The Munich operation’s initial Part 145 approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency will cover light scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for the Learjet 60 and Challenger 604. Its authorizations will be extended to other Bombardier types.The new satellite station will complement the main LBAS base at Berlin Schoenefeld Airport. The company also has an operation at Frankfurt, where Bombardier has a new spare parts warehouse.At a December 13 press conference in London, Bombardier announced the appointment of Vienna-based Gate V Aircraft Maintenance as an official AOG/ line maintenance provider for Learjets. The company operates from a 26,909-sq-ft hangar at the Austrian capital’s international airport. It has established repair capability for airframes, engines and avionics that already covers the Learjet 45, 55 and 60 models.In addition, the Canadian airframer has launched a repair and maintenance facility in Belfast to expand its customer support operations in Northern Ireland.Bombardier will open two new parts distribution centers this year–at São Paulo, Brazil, and Tokyo. The Dallas spares warehouse is due to be fully operational by the end of March. The OEM has predicted that last year will prove to have been a strong year for business aircraft sales. During the first three quarters of last year it delivered 160 aircraft (18 percent up on the previous year) and a spokesman said that the fourth quarter has proved to be “very strong.”
Bombardier Pioneers New WingBombardier Aerospace’s manufacturing division in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has been selected as a partner in the UK’s three-year national research program to develop and validate technologies for a new generation of aircraft wings.The £34 million ($65 million) Integrated Wing program will involve 17 British firms, research bodies and universities and is jointly funded by the Department of Trade and Industry and various regional development agencies. It is aimed at introducing technology that will meet environmental challenges by reducing fuel burn and noise, as well as reducing maintenance costs.Bombardier will lead the wing structures part of the program and will focus mainly on developing composite technologies. This work will include design and analysis techniques, simulation and modeling, materials selection and advanced manufacturing processes.