Luton, England, Service Center Adds People, Madrid Facility Adds Parts, Field And Airborne Support Teams (FAST) Expand

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. continues to add resources to its product support network worldwide, including in Europe, home to more than 180 Gulfstream operators. Since moving into a new, larger hangar at London Luton Airport in September 2011, the Gulfstream Luton service center has grown to approximately 190 employees and continues to support Gulfstream operators on-site, across the United Kingdom and Europe, and as far as Asia.

Gulfstream has also increased its spare parts and materials inventory in the region to $125 million. The inventory covers all models of Gulfstream aircraft, including the new ultra-longrange, ultra-large-cabin G650 and the super mid-size G280 (pictured). The initial deliveries for both aircraft include European customers. Another key element of Gulfstream’s customer service in Europe is the mobile repair team unit, which is part of its Field and Airborne Support Teams (FAST). In May 2013, Gulfstream added a sixth member to this select group of maintenance engineers.

“We’re committed to our operators in Europe, whether they’re based there or traveling through the continent on the way to the Middle East, Africa or Asia,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream Product Support. “We continue to invest in enhancing our depth and breadth of services in Europe and continually seek new ways to better support customers.” Gulfstream Luton, located 30 miles north of London, is a certified FAA, EASA Part 145 repair station and EASA Part 21 design organization, which includes avionics and interiors installation and repair capability. The facility also holds 11 other foreign authority approvals. Gulfstream Luton technicians service more than 100 aircraft monthly at their facility off-site. In the past year, Luton personnel have assisted customers in aircraft-on-ground situations as far away as India and Nigeria.

Gulfstream Luton also offers EASA-authorized Continued Airworthiness Management Organization (CAMO) services. The CAMO department currently manages 15 aircraft and has capacity to handle additional aircraft. Luton’s 75,000-square-foot hangar can accommodate 10 to 12 aircraft depending on the mix of large-cabin and mid-cabin models. It sits adjacent to a 10,000-square-foot parts warehouse, which opened in May 2011. Most of Gulfstream’s Europe-based parts and materials – nearly $80 million – are located in Madrid at Corjet Maintenance’s warehouse at Barajas Airport. Gulfstream’s Luton and Madrid facilities can ship parts anywhere in Europe or the Middle East within 24 hours and offer a 24- hour call-in number for customers who need parts support. Gulfstream also has approximately $17 million in parts positioned at Jet Aviation in Basel.

Gulfstream’s FAST maintenance engineers are based in Switzerland, Paris and Athens. A new FAST maintenance engineer will be based in Kiev. The engineers, who can be dispatched by airplane, train, automobile or van, are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to maintenance issues in the field. Each engineer is type-rated on multiple Gulfstream aircraft models. All are EASA-licensed mechanical and/or electrical engineers and have earned an FAA airframe and powerplant license.

Gulfstream’s long list of customer resources in Europe also includes two field service representatives in England and one in Russia, Spain and Switzerland, respectively. Gulfstream also has company-authorized service centers at Jet Aviation’s sites in Basel, Geneva and Moscow, and three company-authorized warranty facilities, Altenrhein Aviation in Altenrhein, Switzerland, and Kiev, and Corjet Maintenance in Madrid.

FMI: www.gulfstream.com