Bombardier inaugurates Biggin Hill Service Centre to grow aftermarket


Bombardier has inaugurated its much-expanded Biggin Hill Service Centre at London Biggin Hill Airport to help grow its aftermarket to reach $2bn within three years. The centre, which includes a new hangar equipped with 22 service bays capable of accommodating up to 14 Global 7500 aircraft simultaneously, spans nearly 250,000sqft (about 23,225sqm).

“The new facility is the beacon of our Canadian company in Europe,” Jean-Christophe Gallagher, executive vice president, Services and Support and Corporate Strategy, Bombardier told Corporate Jet Investor, shortly before the opening ceremony on Wednesday, November 30th. “We are growing are aftermarket business to become a $2bn business in 2025 and this is happening at the same time as unprecedented levels of flying around the world.” The investment underlined the manufacturers’ commitment to the European market, he added.

Now, is the perfect time to commission such a facility because the overall hours of the Bombardier fleet are climbing worldwide, he said. The expanded site will deliver new maintenance and modification capabilities and full-service interior finishing capacity for its family of Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft. The bays will also be able to accommodate the new Global 8000 business jet when it enters into service in 2025.

New amenities at the site include: heavy maintenance and modification capabilities, wheel and battery shops and on-site interiors. The workforce, currently numbering 250 people, will grow to 350 people next year. Access to a skilled workforce was another key reason behind the site’s expansion Gallagher told CJI. “So, the demand [for aftermarket services] is there, we are coming exactly at the right moment with the capacity and also we have the skill sets of the talented people here.”

The manufacturer plans to continue developing a pipeline of skilled aerospace staff in the region to foster the development of highly skilled technicians. Bombardier has a history of apprenticeship programmes and, in the UK, has worked with training leader Marshall Centre. This has resulted in a “thorough, 36-month programme, providing an important conduit for impactful, high-paying aerospace jobs in the region”, according to the company.

The new facility makes Bombardier’s centre the largest business jet MRO facility in Europe and the largest tenant at the London Biggin Hill Airport.

Reflecting the manufacturers’ commitment to sustainability, the company has pledged to install solar panels on the facilty’s roof to generate all the site’s electricity needs. Electrical charging stations will also be installed on site as part of Bombardier’s commitment to reduce its environmental footprint.

Bombardier also confirmed JETEX as its preferred FBO provider at the London Biggin Hill Service Centre. JETEX will offer customers concierge services onsite.

Robert Walters, commercial director of the airport said: “Bombardier has been a tremendous collaborator and we will continue to work closely together as a leading centre for aviation technology and innovation and as a catalyst for business aviation growth in the region.”

The expansion of the London Biggin Hill Service Centre follows the opening of new facilities in Miami, Florida and Melbourne, Australia and the expansion of its service centre in Singapore.

Pictured is part of Bombardier’s new vast hangar at London Biggin Hill Airport ahead of the inauguration ceremony. One of the Global range shares the space with a 1944 Spitfire MX 1X Spitfire, modified to offer passenger flights – in considerably less comfort than its jet-powered sister.

  
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