A new service centre has been officially inaugurated by Bombardier at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF) in Miami-Dade county, Florida.
At full capacity, the OEM-operated Miami-Opa Locka service centre plans to add close to 300 aerospace jobs in the community, including more than 225 highly skilled technicians.
Once fully ramped up, the 300,000ft² facility will more than quadruple Bombardier’s current maintenance footprint in Florida and allow the company to transfer its service centre operations from Fort Lauderdale to the new customer service centre at OPF, located close to Miami’s business district.
“The US is an important market for Bombardier with close to 3,000 aircraft in our fleet, and this highly efficient facility provides a key focal point for customers based in the area, and those who will visit from as far as Latin America,” said Éric Martel, president and CEO, Bombardier. “Bombardier began this year by naming Wichita as our new headquarters in the US, and I am delighted to highlight this inauguration that significantly grows our footprint and employment base in Florida. The city of Miami is a vibrant, international hub of business and commerce and we can’t wait to welcome our customers to our new facility and see our employees continue to thrive and grow.”
“Congratulations to Bombardier on the successful completion of its newest service centre, which has brought hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars in private investment to Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport and Miami-Dade County,” said Ralph Cutié, Miami-Dade Aviation Department director and CEO. “We are extremely proud to now be home to one of Bombardier’s service centres worldwide and a hub for its customers in the US and Latin America.”
The new facility is fully equipped to perform full-service scheduled and unscheduled heavy maintenance, paint enhancement services, aircraft modifications, avionics installations and AOG support for Bombardier’s business aircraft fleet of Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft. The expanded hangar at the service centre is also capable of holding 18 of Bombardier’s Global 7500 aircraft under one roof.
Bombardier is also currently hiring additional maintenance technicians both in Florida and across its entire service network to support its recent expansions. Technicians will receive Bombardier’s Type Training Course for Mechanical and Avionics certification to provide maintenance services at all 10 of Bombardier’s service centres worldwide, including its newly expanded facilities in London Biggin Hill, UK, and Singapore, as well as its new facility in Melbourne, Australia. Bombardier’s service centre network currently has openings for a variety of technical and professional roles.
“The new Miami-Opa Locka service centre brings essential, specialised services for our customers, enabling us to continue to deliver the service excellence they have come to expect from Bombardier,” said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, executive vice president, services and support, and corporate strategy, Bombardier. “Our new facility provides significant benefits, including quick aircraft turnarounds, greater convenience and OEM peace of mind to Bombardier’s growing customer base in the US and around the world.”
