Bombardier will nearly quadruple the size of its Singapore service center as part of its aftermarket expansion plan. The OEM is investing $85 million in the facility, which it plans to complete late in the third quarter or early fourth quarter, says Chris Debergh, Bombardier’s vice president products and services.
“It will be the largest business aviation MRO operation in Asia,” he says.
Bombardier has had a service center at Singapore’s Seletar Aerospace Park but is basically adding on to both sides, which expands it to a 290,000-ft.2 facility from 70,000 ft.2. That additional space includes a new paint and strip facility, which recently opened, as well as expanded interior shops and backshops. It also includes a new ramp and airport access at Seletar.
Bombardier previously had a small parts depot at Singapore Changi Airport, but is moving it to its Seletar service complex, where it will be bigger—a 7,000-ft.2 parts depot that will hold about 16,000 parts, including consumables, expendables, rotables and supplies. It is designed to support the service center and the entire region’s fleet of Bombardier aircraft, which is predominately Challengers and Globals. This is one of three in Bombardier’s global network; the others are in Chicago and Frankfurt.
Bombardier is also adding an integrated fixed-base operator (FBO) to the complex that will be run by Jetex. That should open in the late third or early fourth quarter, Debergh says.
Bombardier partners with Jetex for FBO services in Asia and the Middle East and with Signature Flight Support in Europe and North America.
The Singapore complex achieved Singapore’s Green Mark Gold and the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building certifications. To reduce the environmental impact, it includes solar panels on the roof, car park shelters, LED lighting and low-flow plumbing fixtures, among other features.
In addition to the Singapore service center, Bombardier has one in Tianjin, China and is opening a 50,000-ft.2 facility in Melbourne, Australia, to serve Asia-Pacific customers. The Melbourne facility is scheduled to come online in the third quarter. The Tianjin and Melbourne facilities are smaller than the Singapore one and can do “up to major checks,” but they do not have the full check, interior or paint capabilities, says Debergh.
Tiajin performs mostly Challenger maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), and “there are a lot more Learjets based in Australia than in other parts of Asia,” he adds.
By having the full airframe MRO capability in Singapore, Asian customers that have had to fly to the U.S. or Europe to get a major check done will soon be able to do that in Singapore.
