The aircraft was due a 120 month check including a full landing gear overhaul.

“A few years ago, clients in the Middle East would send these projects – a very heavy maintenance check coupled with a major cabin refurbishment – to MRO companies in Europe, but these projects are now coming here to Dubai,” says Nick Weber, Regional VP Middle East at ExecuJet MRO Services. “Clients recognize that we have the capacity – including available slots – allowing us to be flexible in meeting client needs. And we have the manpower and expertise to deliver to the highest quality.”

ExecuJet MRO Services says that the aircraft’s inboard flaps were subject to a service bulletin and needed upper skin removal and rib replacement. It has performed 38 flap repairs like this. The company has 20 Global B1 rated engineers and five Global rated B2 engineers in Dubai.

ExecuJet MRO Services Middle East  recently opened a new 15,344m² (165,160ft²) facility at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport.

F/List Dubai worked with ExecuJet MRO Services Middle East on the Global’s 6000 interior. It included new leather upholstery for the cockpit and cabin seats, new carpet and new dado panel material.

ExecuJet also installed Satcom Direct’s new Plane Simple high-speed Ku system. “Refurbished interior and new satcom system are savvy investments and the aircraft’s value will increase now,” says Weber.

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The maintenance firm can now provide line maintenance away from its Brussels Airport base using its mobile repair unit (MRU), meaning its engineers can travel to nearby countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, France and Luxembourg.

Usually, MRUs in Belgium are only able to respond to aircraft-on-ground situations. The Belgium Civil Aviation Authority granted approval for the MRUs to be used for line maintenance, which was then validated for other European countries by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

“Following strong demand from customers, there was a need for us to offer line maintenance at locations away from our home base,” said Christophe de Coppel, regional vice president of Europe, ExecuJet MRO Services.

“The requests from customers were ad hoc, so we decided to seek regulatory approval to have our MRU provide line maintenance,” he added. “Having this new capability helps us to reach a larger pool of customers and reinforces Belgium’s position as a centre for MRO in Europe.”

The firm’s parent company, Dassault Aviation, defended the private jet industry against “aviation bashing” in its presentation to investors last week.

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The company, a division of Dassault Aviation, made the announcement at the MEBAA Business Aviation show held in the DWC airport. Currently, the firm operates from a base at Dubai International Airport (DXB), but operations will move to the new MRO early next year.

The new 15,000sq m (161,500sq ft) base will be able to hold 18-24 business jets at once, with the capability to house large jets such as the Falcon 6X and Flacon 10X. As well as the hangar, it will include adjacent workshops and offices and will become the company’s new regional headquarters in Dubai. The DXB base will still retain AOG capability.

“We have been preparing for entry into service of the Falcon 6X, with tooling and spare parts already identified and on their way,” said Nick Weber, regional vice president, Middle East, ExecuJet MRO Services. He said that initially four engineers will be sent to Dassault Aviation to train for the maintenance of the Falcon 6X, which is expected to be in service mid-2023.

He added: “Our MRO facility will be an important centre outside of Europe and North America for support of the Falcon 6X and 10X.”

The MRO will also provide line and base maintenance for Bombardier, Embraer and nearly all types of Hawker business jets.

In September, ExecuJet expanded its capabilities at its Malaysia facility at Subang Airport including zinc-nickel and cadmium electroplating technology.

Meanwhile, MEBAA is ongoing between December 6-8th in Dubai. Registration is open here.

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“Despite all the uncertainties, we continue to see good sales – despite the cancellation of Russian orders [due to the war in Ukraine],” said Éric Trappier, chairman and CEO Dassault Aviation at NBAA-BACE this week in Orlando, Florida. Sales remained strong, particularly in Europe, US and south-east Asia. The OEM’s backlog reached “historically strong” levels over the first half of 2022 totalling €34bn ($33.48bn), compared with €21bn ($20.68bn) in H1 last year – partly reflecting fighter export orders.

An order for 42 Rafale fighter aircraft from the French Airforce is expected next year. “This order will give the group a high level of profitability – at least for the next 10 years,” said Trappier.

In addition to the war, Dassault expressed concern about energy supplies and pricing, inflation and interest rates and the continuing effects of the global pandemic. “We still have Covid – although in many countries, vaccines continue to mitigate its effects,” Trappier told Corporate Jet Investor (CJI). “But in China, Covid is definitely still on, affecting that part of the supply chain.” 

Asked about the prospect of an imminent global recession, Trappier said: “While an economic crisis or recession in the coming weeks is a risk, we are not sure …”.  Like all OEMs, Dassault monitors the research from European and US industry groups such as General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). “We try to develop the idea of new stock in order to be more flexible when the crisis is on.”

Many aircraft manufacturers at NBAA-BACE revealed significant investment in infrastructure and Dassault was no exception. The company plans to build a new MRO facility at Melbourne, Florida, as part of its global expansion of MRO services. Opening in late 2024, the 175,000sqft complex is designed to house 18 Falcons at the same time, including the new Falcon 10X. 

The investment will also fund a new 54,000sqft paint shop, offices and customer lounges. “The new Melbourne facility will mainly serve North and South American customers for major inspections, repairs and upgrades for all Falcons,” said Trappier. It will enable the OEM to grow its presence in the US, as the Falcon fleet grows with the entry into service of the Falcon 10X and the extra widebody Falcon 6X. Dassault chose Melbourne, after evaluating several potential locations, for its positive business environment and highly skilled workforce on the Space Coast.

In the United Arab Emirates, the OEM’s ExecuJet MRO Services unit will open a new maintenance facility in Dubai in the first quarter of next year. 

In 2024, Dassault will open a new heavy maintenance facility in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to improve its maintenance service in the Eastern Hemisphere.

The manufacturer now operates 40 factory service locations and 20 authorised service centres worldwide.

Dassault engineers analyse flight data at the work bench. (Credit: Dassault Aviation)

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Zinc-nickel and cadmium electroplating are important technologies in the aerospace industry, according to Ivan Lim, regional vice president, Asia, ExecuJet MRO Services. The technology involves applying a thin layer of cadmium or zinc-nickel to metal airframe parts. Cadmium and zinc-nickel protect metal against surface corrosion, even in high-salt environments.

“We had been using outside vendors to provide this service to our customers, but as Malaysia’s largest business aviation MRO company, having this technology in-house allows ExecuJet to have better control over the workflow for airframe heavy maintenance checks and ultimately provide better turnaround times,” said Lim.

Besides airframe maintenance, ExecuJet is seeing higher demand for engine maintenance services too. The Malaysian facility recently performed the region’s first ever removal and installation of the engine fan case on a Dassault Falcon 7X.

Lim added: “The team are Dassault-trained engineers and technicians able to perform engine removals, engine fan case removals and installations. The team performed the task smoothly. We have invested in the necessary tooling and spare parts to perform this critical maintenance task, amongst others. We are ready to assist our Pratt & Whitney Canada PW300 engine series customers with all requests.”

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The facility, which will begin construction within the next six weeks, will have its own dedicated apron (ramp) and a floor area of about 149,500 sq ft. The hangar will be able to accommodate the largest business jets in development, including the Dassault Falcon 6X and Falcon 10X.

ExecuJet said the bigger facility will be able to better meet the increasing demand in the region for its services.

Ivan Lim, regional vice president Asia, ExecuJet MRO Services said: “The number of business jets in Asia, especially Southeast Asia, has continued to grow despite the pandemic. Business people have been turning to business aviation to meet their flying needs because it is time-efficient with far fewer touch points compared to commercial aviation.”

The company is already Malaysia’s largest business aviation MRO and serves Dassault, Bombardier and Gulfstream operators from across the Asia region. It is certified by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Malaysia, US FAA, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and other international authorities.

Last month, ExecuJet MRO Services Australia announced it is expanding its MRO capability for Dassault Aviation by investing in further training and equipment on its aircraft, aiming to become a “centre of excellence” for Dassault.

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By sending maintenance technicians and engineers from Australia to Dassault Aviation in France and the US for advanced technical training, the MRO is now able to offer a wider range of inspections on the Falcon 900, Falcon 2000, Falcon 7X/8X and all models of the Falcon 50.

The company has also invested in new tooling to allow for higher precision when carrying out tests.

“We have further consolidated our position as a factory-owned Dassault Aviation MRO organization by investing in more tooling and training,” said Grant Ingall, vice president, ExecuJet MRO Servies Australia. “We have also upgraded our non-destructive testing (NDT) capabilities so we can perform the ultrasonic inspection of the horizontal stabilizer, a task we previously had to bring in specialists from Dassault to perform. Investing in the specific tooling and training to perform these complex tasks in-country positions ExecuJet and Australia as a ‘centre of excellence’ for maintenance of Dassault aircraft.”

Ingall said the company has also been busy performing aircraft inspections for buyers of pre-owned business jets. “The business jet market in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere is experiencing very strong demand for new and pre-owned aircraft,” he said. “Pre-owned aircraft are being snapped up quickly, with many new buyers entering to the market, drawn by the convenience and flexibility that business aviation provides.”

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*ExecuJet MRO Services Middle East gains approval from India’s DGCA to conduct maintenance on Falcon 2000 aircraft.

*The company already has approval to work on a range of types including: the Falcon 7X, Falcon 8X, Falcon 900C/EX/EASy and Falcon 2000EASy models.

*About half of the Dassault business jets registered in India are the Falcon 2000 ‘Classic’.

ExecuJet MRO Services Middle East has received approval from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to perform line and base maintenance on Falcon 2000 ‘Classic’ aircraft.

The ‘Classic’ refers to the first model of Falcon 2000, which is equipped with a Collins Proline 4 Avionics System and powered by CFE738 engines. CFE was a joint-venture between General Electric and AlliedSignal (now part of Honeywell).

ExecuJet MRO Services’ Middle East facility is already approved by India’s DGCA to work on various types of aircraft registered in India, such as: Falcon 7X, Falcon 8X, Falcon 900C/EX/EASy and Falcon 2000EASy models.  This latest DGCA approval adds the Falcon 2000 “Classic” to this impressive list of capabilities.

“India is a very big and growing market for Dassault Aviation and also a very important market for ExecuJet MRO Services Middle East, thanks to geographic proximity,” says Nick Weber, Regional VP Middle East at ExecuJet MRO Services.

He says this latest approval from India’s DGCA is significant, because about half of the Dassault business jets registered in India are the Falcon 2000 ‘Classic’.

“Dubai is a short flight away from India and India-registered aircraft are regular visitors for business and tourism,” says Weber.

“This latest approval enables ExecuJet to better support all Indian Falcon customers operating within the region,” he adds.

Besides India’s DGCA, the company holds comprehensive approvals from the US FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and other national aviation authorities to work on Falcon aircraft and also aircraft types from other aircraft-makers.

ExecuJet commenced operations in Dubai more than 20 years ago and is currently building a new 15,000m² (163,000ft²) MRO facility at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) that includes a large hangar as well as adjacent workshops and offices.

The company will be moving base maintenance to DWC from Dubai International Airport (DXB), although it will retain AOG capability at DXB.

ExecuJet MRO Services, a Dassault Aviation owned company, is a factory service centre for all in-production Dassault Falcon aircraft. It also provides line and base maintenance for Bombardier, Embraer Executive Jets and nearly all types of Hawker business jets.

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