Facility To Support 'Soaring' Demand for Falcons

Dassault Falcon revealed plans this week to establish a factory-owned Falcon Service Center at Sorocaba Airport (SOD) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The new service center will help to support a fast-growing Falcon fleet in Brazil, that the company anticipates will double in size to over 50 airplanes in the next three years.

The project is expected to be completed in the coming months and open in the fourth quarter of 2008.

"Dassault's new service center in Sao Paulo is a direct result of our commitment to a Brazilian market that has always been very pro-Falcon," said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon. "We will continue to invest in our service and spares parts to ensure our customers have the highest level of service in the years to come."

Dassault's initial investment in the 23,000 square-foot facility will exceed US$6.5 million. The new service center will be used to hangar up to three Falcons while Dassault technicians will be trained to perform line maintenance and 'A' checks. They will also support an AOG 'Go Team' to provide rapid mobile response directly to an aircraft location anywhere in South America with the parts and tools necessary to get a Falcon flying with minimal delay.

The facility will have spare parts and tooling inventory for all current production Falcon models. In addition, spares and tooling will be in place for out of production models such as the Falcon 10, Falcon 20 and Falcon 50 that are still operating in significant numbers in South America.

"Increased international trade, a robust economy and a strong Real are the biggest drivers for the growing business aviation market in Brazil," Rosanvallon added. "And at a time when the cost of oil is over $120 per barrel and jet fuel costs increase unabated, a Falcon’s fuel efficiency is very much appreciated. The cost of fuel continues to be a big factor in the process of acquiring a business jet."

In addition to Sao Paulo, Brazil, Dassault Falcon has company-owned service centers in Le Bourget, France; Wilmington, DE and Little Rock, AR. There are also 30 Authorized Service Centers in Dassault’s worldwide customer support network.

FMI: www.dassaultfalcon.com