New Piper Aircraft
tells ANN that Piper Generalvertretung Deutschland AG (Piper AG), a
long-standing Piper dealer, is expanding operations to include
sales, parts and service for the United Kingdom, Spain and related
territories. The transition from existing operations by
Senate Aviation Limited is effective immediately and comes after
several weeks of negotiations with Piper AG and the consent of
Piper Aircraft.
Specifically, Piper AG will add the United Kingdom, Ireland, the
Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Spain to its existing base of
operations, which encompasses the Federal Republic of Germany,
Austria, Switzerland and Hungary. Piper AG has established Piper
Parts and Sales UK, as its wholly owned parts and sales distributor
for its expanded operations. The operations will be
immediately headquartered at Bournemouth International Airport in
Christchurch, UK.
"Piper AG, which has
been a loyal and valued Piper distributor since 1968, brings a
wealth of experience and a stellar record of achievement to its new
expanded operations," said James K. Bass, President and CEO of New
Piper Aircraft.
"The United Kingdom and Spain are vital markets for New Piper,
and we are particularly pleased to see a company of Piper AG's
caliber on hand to service the needs of our large and loyal
customer base in those countries."
Wilfried Otto, Chairman of Piper AG, said that Piper UK has
significant plans for the future.
"This transition and expansion is just the beginning of a new
commitment to our customers," Otto said. "Our immediate goal
is to relocate Piper UK to another airport in the United Kingdom,
where we will build a new facility with hangar space for aircraft
maintenance, warehouse space for spare parts and office space for
marketing activities. We have already started negotiating
with 10 potential UK airports and expect to relocate by July of
this year."
In all, Piper UK will employ an eight-person staff in
Bournemouth and increase parts inventory value by up to
�300,000. Moreover, at least three different Piper Aircraft
will be permanently based at Bournemouth for demonstration flights,
and Piper UK plans to establish additional Piper Sales Centers
(subdealers or agents) and Piper Service Centers (maintenance) in
the UK to be concluded by June 30, 2006.
"Piper AG has played an integral role in New Piper's growth and
success in the European market," said Molly Martin Pearce, New
Piper's Director of Dealer Relations & Sales, "and we know that
their team will continue to provide exemplary service for our
customers throughout this territory".