Embraer Executive Jets showcased its 2012 edition of the Legacy 650 and the Legacy 500 mock-up, both making debut at Farnborough

At Farnborough, Dassault Falcon signed an agreement with Indian charter operator Taj Air to establish a Dassault Falcon Authorised Line Service Station at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (VIDP) in Mumbai.

The facility, which is already operational, will provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and inspections for all Falcon 2000 models. Initially, the facility will serve Indian registered Falcons, but EASA approval is expected by early 2013.

“This agreement emphasises our philosophy of enhancing the service experience by expanding our footprint of service,” said Jacques Chauvet, Senior Vice President for Worldwide Customer Service for Dassault Falcon. “Asia and India are rapidly expanding as they realise the benefits of business aviation. Additionally, transient traffic in Mumbai continues to increase, so this agreement is of vital importance to all of our customers.”

Taj Air has invested significantly in tooling and training to support the new initiative and will be able to provide 30 technicians, dedicated specifically to Falcon aircraft.

Taj Air, a company of Tata Group, is a world class facility with 3,200 square metres (35,000 square feet) of hangar space and is staffed by a team of 30 trained professionals with broad experience in servicing aircraft. In addition to scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, AOG assistance is also available around the clock.

With Taj Air approval, Dassault Falcon will be capable of servicing customers at 42 locations—32 authorised service centres, five company-owned service centres and five company-owned satellite service centres. The service centre network is supported by 18 spare parts distribution facilities strategically located around the world, including Mumbai and Chennai, plus a technical centre providing 24x7 support to Falcon operators across three time zones.

A fleet of about 20 Falcon 2000 Series aircraft is operated within India in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore, making Dassault Falcon a leader in India in this segment.

NetJets banks on long-term confidence

The CEO and Chairman of NetJets, Europe, Eric Connor, said, “We’re cautiously optimistic that over the next couple of years, the market will begin to pick up momentum again and are preparing for that with careful fleet planning and investment, a real focus on the continued quality and safety of our service, and breadth in our product offering that reflects what the market wants. The recent NetJets global purchase of aircraft valued at around $9.6 billion, one of the biggest deals in the history of private aviation is testimony to this long-term confidence across the industry.”

The Berkshire Hathaway company had announced that it would add up to 425 new aircraft to its worldwide fleet under purchase agreements with Cessna and Bombardier. NetJets huge order includes up to 275 Bombardier Challenger aircraft, including 100 firm orders and options for 175 more. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2014. It is also buying up to 150 Cessna Citation Latitudes, including 25 firm orders and options for 125 more, with deliveries beginning in 2016.

NetJets also recently ordered Embraer Phenoms and Bombardier Globals, marking the launch of a new NetJets Signature Series of aircraft.

Connors said, “We are midway through the recovery process in our view, the market continues to evolve with us seeing much more growth in emerging markets such as Russia, Turkey and North Africa.”