SHANGHAI, Aprl 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Dassault Aviation today signed an agreement with Beijing-based Deer Jet authorizing it to provide line maintenance and unscheduled maintenance for the Falcon 7X.
Located at Beijing Capital Airport, Deer Jet is one of the largest business jet operators in the Asia Pacific region. It manages and supports a large fleet of executive aircraft, including the 7X.
"Deer Jet has both the tooling and training to provide support to the ever growing volume of Falcon traffic that is coming through Beijing," said Kathy Liu, Director of Customer Service-Asia for Dassault. "Furthermore, their experience as a Falcon 7X operator gives them hands-on know-how that will greatly benefit customers who call upon the company for assistance in its new role."
The Authorized Service Agreement allows Deer Jet to perform light line maintenance (up to 2A and 2A+ inspections) and unscheduled maintenance for Chinese registered Falcon 7X from its Beijing facility. Deer Jet has also applied for EASA and FAA full repair station approvals, which are expected to be granted within a year.
Currently, the company has three technicians on staff dedicated to supporting Falcon customers, including provision of 24/7 AOG support. The facility is equipped with a substantial stock of Falcon tooling and spare parts, and can also access to more than $5 million in spares at Dassault's nearby Beijing spares facility.
The Falcon 7X is Dassault's fastest-selling Falcon, with over 250 aircraft produced since its certification in 2007. 35 of the very long range trijets are based in China, making it the second largest 7X fleet after that in the U.S. Last year, the Falcon 7X completed trials at Daocheng Yading, in China's Sichuan province that will allow it to operate out of the world's highest commercial airport (altitude: 14,470 feet).
Continued Expansion of Customer Support in China and Asia-Pacific
Dassault has been rapidly increasing customer support capabilities in China to serve the current fleet and anticipated future growth.
The company recently expanded spare parts inventory at its Beijing Spares Depot by 15% to $5.2 million, and a further increase is planned in the near future.
Dassault also undertook a 50% expansion of inventory at its spare parts depot in Singapore, allowing it to stock the top 3,000 high demand parts for in-production aircraft. In total, the value of inventory at the company's various regional distribution centers in the Asia-Pacific region now exceeds $30 million.
In 2013, Dassault established a Customer Service headquarters in Beijing. Led by Kathy Liu, Director of Customer Support for Asia, the office is staffed with two Field Technical Representatives and three Customer Care Managers, who provide assistance with warranty issues, spares and other operational matters. Kathy's team recently grew with the addition of a new Regional Technical Manager and a third Field Technical Representative.
Shanghai Hawker Pacific is a Falcon Authorized Service center capable of providing line and base maintenance for Falcon aircraft registered in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and the U.S. It also has a dedicated inventory of Falcon spares.
