Bombardier has announced another wave of growth for its award-winning service network as it increases its customer service capabilities in the United States, with a new service centre at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF) in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Bombardier said its approximately $100-million investment for the new service centre will bring significant benefits to Miami-Dade County.
The new service centre will more than double the company’s current customer service footprint in Florida with new capabilities, including a paint facility for the centre’s vast customer base spanning the U.S. and Latin America.
“By doubling our capacity to support more aircraft, and adding new capabilities, our customers will benefit from the peace of mind that comes from our OEM expertise and from reduced aircraft downtime,” said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, vice-president and general manager, Customer Experience.
“Thanks to our long-term relationship with the state of Florida, we are thrilled to open our new facility at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF), where many of our operators are already based.”
Planned for inauguration in 2020, the new service centre in Miami will be fully equipped to perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, aircraft modifications, avionics installations, and aircraft on ground support (AOG) for Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft.
Once the facility is fully ramped up, the new service centre will nearly double Bombardier’s employment in Florida to close to 300 employees.
Located in Miami-Dade County, the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF) is the largest of the county’s general aviation airports.
Bombardier said its approximately $100-million investment for its new service centre will bring significant benefits to Miami-Dade County, including the development of a comprehensive aerospace cluster and the establishment of talent development partnerships with local colleges.
“Miami-Dade County is proud to be a key player in Bombardier’s grassroots development of the aerospace industry in our region,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
“This new facility will employ nearly 300 of our residents in high-paying jobs averaging $70,000 annually, while also forging workplace partnerships with our local schools for continuing career opportunities,” said Giménez.
The state-of-the-art facility of approximately 300,000 square feet will become part of Bombardier’s network of exceptional service center facilities and Mobile Response Team (MRT) mobile units around the world, ready to respond to the maintenance needs of operators.
Following the inauguration of the Miami-Dade County facility, Bombardier will continue to support customers in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a line maintenance station.
Bombardier is currently hiring additional maintenance technicians across its entire service network to support its recent expansions.
Technicians will receive Bombardier’s Type Training Course for Mechanical and Avionics certification to provide maintenance services at all Bombardier’s nine service centres worldwide, including Biggin Hill Service Center in London; Singapore; Dallas, Texas; Hartford, Connecticut; Tucson, Arizona; and Wichita, Kansas.