Dassault Aviation has completed a major review of its company owned and authorised service centre network "to improve the service experience for Falcon owners, no matter where they are based and wherever they fly", says the company.
Dassault has five company-owned and 26 authorised service centres throughout the world and recently added five satellite service stations with "GoTeams" positioned on four continents.
When traditional Falcon authorised service centres were established, "the basic philosophy was that each centre needed to meet an ultimate level of requirements in terms of equipment and services to support all Falcon models, up to and including 'C' inspections", says Dassault. "While this philosophy works well in areas with large Falcon populations such as Europe and the USA, it proved less practical in some of the new, emerging markets for business jets," it adds.
Dassault is putting in place "a stronger, more vibrant network" that will allow service centres to specialise in "one or two aircraft models if they choose, or to support all Falcon models through all phases of maintenance. What our customers will see is a more specialised approach that will provide a quicker reaction to their needs," it says.
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The new Dassault Falcon authorised service centre structure will be divided into three categories: heavy, major and line maintenance.
Heavy service centres will provide comprehensive customer support for all Falcon models and hold local regulatory approvals as well as those from the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency. Most of the centres in North America and many in Europe fall into this category offering a complete line of services including all levels of maintenance and inspections, rapid response aircraft-on-ground teams, refurbishments and upgrades.
Major service centres will provide comprehensive support for Falcons of a particular model series and hold local regulatory approvals as well as those from the FAA and EASA. Services will typically include all maintenance including aircraft on ground service and inspections through a C check. Five centres in Finland, Germany, Singapore, South Africa and the USA fall into this category.
Line service centres will provide support for specific Falcon models and hold a minimum of local regulatory approvals. Services include what is typically called line maintenance up through A and A+ checks. Thirteen centres around the globe fall into this category.
"Under this new approach, a wider group of quality service providers are candidates to be included in the Falcon authorised service centre network," says Frank Youngkin, Dassault's vice-president of customer service for the western hemisphere. "We can now add smaller 'line service centres' in areas that experience a high level of transient traffic but with few aircraft based in the area."
The company is also introducing satellite service stations in London, Moscow, Nice, Rome and St Louis. It says it is looking to add other facilities in the north-east, south-east and western USA.
Source: Flight International
