Sustainable Aviation Fuel Among Resources For Large Customer Base

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced it has officially opened its second company-owned maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Southern California, one of the world’s busiest corridors for Gulfstream business jets. The new service center at Van Nuys Airport has customer resources that include sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and sizeable ramp space.

Gulfstream Van Nuys also serves as the local operating base for Gulfstream FAST Field and Airborne Support Teams, a rapid-response unit that specializes in troubleshooting grounded aircraft. Complementing the Van Nuys operation is Gulfstream Long Beach, the company-owned service center and Completions facility approximately 45 miles away.

“We are excited and proud to add Gulfstream Van Nuys to our rapidly growing worldwide service center network,” said Derek Zimmerman, president, Gulfstream Customer Support. “Southern California, especially Los Angeles County, is a prime location for Gulfstream business jets, and with maintenance facilities in both Van Nuys and Long Beach, we have the resources to assist customers based in and transitioning through the area faster and more efficiently.

“This expansion ensures our new aircraft, the Gulfstream G500 and G600, and the rest of our growing fleet continue to have the best service and support in business aviation. We’re grateful to our parent company, General Dynamics, and to Los Angeles World Airports for their critical support.”

There are more than 130 Gulfstream aircraft based at Van Nuys Airport, the most active business aviation airport in California. More than 220 Gulfstream aircraft are based in Southern California.

The Gulfstream Van Nuys facility is approximately 66,000 square feet, which includes approximately 43,000 sq ft of hangar space, enough to accommodate four Gulfstream G650ER or G650 aircraft. Adjacent to the facility is a fixed-based operation run by sister company Jet Aviation that has a 10,000-sq-ft terminal and 43,000-sq-ft hangar, which includes office space.

Gulfstream Van Nuys has easy access to Gulfstream’s West Coast Customer Support Distribution Center, in place at Van Nuys Airport since 2014, which has a parts and materials inventory of nearly $30 million.

Gulfstream’s MRO operations in Van Nuys and Long Beach are certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Gulfstream Long Beach also has European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Civil Aviation Administration of China maintenance approvals, among others. Gulfstream Van Nuys will add foreign maintenance approvals in the coming months.

Both Gulfstream Van Nuys and Long Beach offer SAF, which is produced at a nearby refinery operated by World Energy and blended with traditional petroleum-based Jet A fuel.

“We continue to educate our customers about SAF and promote its many benefits,” Zimmerman said.

Gulfstream Van Nuys has many sustainable features, including recycled building materials, an energy-efficient thermoplastic polyolefin roof, water-saving fixtures and landscaping, and enhanced control systems for heating/cooling. The facility will receive U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

Gulfstream Van Nuys is the company’s third maintenance facility opening in the past five months. In August and September 2019, Gulfstream opened service center expansions in Appleton, Wisconsin, and Savannah, respectively. In 2020, Gulfstream will begin operations at newly built service centers in Palm Beach, Florida, and Farnborough, England. The combined space of Gulfstream’s five new maintenance facilities exceeds 790,000 sq ft.

(Image provided with Gulfstream news release)

FMI: www.gulfstream.com