Bombardier Business Aircraft in collaboration with its partner the Tianjin Airport Economic Area (TAEA) announced the opening of the Service Centre in Tianjin, China.

An inauguration event was held on April 7, 2017, ahead of the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE), to officially open the Service Centre. The facility uses the same processes and procedures that govern Bombardier's worldwide network of Service Centres.

Located near Beijing, the Tianjin Service Centre includes hangar space, offices, as well as back shop areas totaling over 8,500 square meters (95,766 square feet). It offers maintenance, repair, overhaul, and associated activities and services, and complements the Bombardier Business Aircraft Support Network in Asia.

"Bombardier Business Aircraft has had the largest fleet in Asia for the last 12 years. We are thrilled to bring the expertise of our worldwide service network to support our customers in the region. This major investment, made in collaboration with TAEA, demonstrates Bombardier's commitment to strengthen its presence in China, as well as its confidence in the future of the aviation industry in the region," said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Vice President and General Manager, Customer Experience, Bombardier Business Aircraft.

"We are delighted to see the inauguration of our joint venture with Bombardier and are committed to its success," said Zhao Xuesen, Vice President of Tianjin Airport Economic Area. "It shows the vitality of the Tianjin aviation industry and consolidates Tianjin's position as an emerging aviation hub in China. The movement of business aircraft reached 1,528 at the Tianjin Airport in 2016, a 17.36% increase from the previous year. With China's growth strategy in place, a rapid expansion of the business aviation industry can be anticipated in Tianjin, in line with China's 13th Five-Year Plan."

To date, the Tianjin Service Centre has received its Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) certification for Global, Challenger 604, Challenger 605 and Challenger 850 aircraft, giving it full authority and ability to perform 96-month inspections for Challenger 600 series jets, and 120-month inspections for Global aircraft. Further certifications and international capabilities will be announced in the upcoming months.

As part of Bombardier Business Aircraft's commitment to operators in Asia, the new maintenance facility will further strengthen Bombardier's customer support network in China, which includes a team of Field Service Representatives and Customer Support Account Managers, as well as four Authorized Service Facilities.

"The opening of the Tianjin Service Centre demonstrates Bombardier's priority to bring top maintenance services to our Chinese customers, and ensure faster access to support, closer to their base of operations," said Lanny Schindelmeiser, General Manager, Bombardier Tianjin Aviation Services Co., Ltd. "Our technicians have been trained through a comprehensive program to deliver the value-added experience Bombardier provides throughout its worldwide network."

Bombardier's latest market forecast for the aviation industry predicts approximately 1,100 business jet deliveries destined for Greater China, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific regions over the next 10 years. With its portfolio of innovative aircraft, Bombardier Business Aircraft is well-positioned to remain the market leader. As of 2016, approximately 280 Bombardier Business Aircraft are based in Asia.

The Tianjin Service Centre joins Bombardier Business Aircraft's award-winning network of nine Service Centres, five line maintenance stations and a total of 17 Customer Response Team mobile units worldwide, all equipped to support Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global business aircraft. The network's approximately 1,000 dedicated technicians share best practices to provide industry-leading maintenance and care. Bombardier Business Aircraft customers also have access to a broad network of nearly 50 Authorized Service Facilities around the world.