Dassault expands global MRO footprint with new ExecuJet facility in Kuala Lumpur

Dassault Aviation has opened a major new maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that will greatly enhance service for Falcon operators in Southeast Asia.

Operating under the ExecuJet brand, the state-of-the-art factory service center will be able to support 10-15 aircraft at one time, including Dassault’s largest aircraft, the Falcon 6X, which recently entered service, and the larger 10X, which will reach the market in 2027. The ExecuJet MRO network is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dassault Aviation.

The 149,500-ft2 Kuala Lumpur center will serve as a hub of business aviation support for the entire Asia Pacific region, where business jets are being used more widely than ever before. The facility was custom designed to support business aircraft and includes advanced features such as a built-in overhead crane for aircraft engine changes. It replaces a smaller facility originally built for aircraft undercover parking.

Environmental factors were a major design driver for the Kuala Lumpur complex. Among its many sustainable features are energy-conserving LED lighting, solar electric panels, and rooftop rainwater collectors.

“Over the last half decade, we have more than doubled our global support capacity and considerably modernized our MRO capability,” said Jean Kayanakis, SVP for worldwide customer service. “We now have more than 60 service locations and 15 parts distribution centers around the world, along with the GoTeams necessary to support aircraft in the field 24/7 wherever they may be. This is part of a strategy aimed at keeping us as close as possible to our customers and offering all the services needed to maximize the up-time and value of their Falcon fleets.”

Ivan Lim, Regional VP Asia at ExecuJet MRO Services, added: “The benefit of having a purpose-built MRO facility is it can include new features to support MRO activity (for example, a built-in overhead-crane for aircraft engine changes) and it can be future-proofed."

Ivan Lim, Regional VP Asia at ExecuJet MRO Services.

The new hangar’s energy-saving design elements include large windows, allowing for more natural light; LED lighting; high-volume low-speed overhead fans for cooling; an 85kW rooftop solar system and water tanks for harvesting rainwater.

“We also designed the hangar and workshops to optimize the workflow through the facility, said Lim. "The 105,000-ft2 hangar can accommodate up to 15 medium and large business jets simultaneously, including the ultra-large-cabin Dassault Falcon 6X and Falcon 10X. Our previous facility at Subang Airport was smaller and the hangar was originally designed for aircraft undercover parking.”

In addition to Kuala Lumpur, Dassault is:

• building a new US flagship MRO location in Melbourne, Florida to support Falcons operating in North and South America. This center will open in 2025.

• adding capacity in the Northeast US with another authorized service center, Pro Star Aviation, located near Boston.

• relocating a facility in Sorocaba, near São Paulo, Brazil to the newly opened Catarina International Executive airport.

• supporting the Indian market with a new authorized service center in New Delhi, Indamer.

Last year, the company opened a major new ExecuJet MRO center at Dubai World Central airport. This 165,250 sq ft (15,350 sq m) facility will vastly improve service to customers in the Middle East.

Dassault is also expanding the number of MRO locations that can perform C checks and other major inspections and handle technology retrofits such as the EASy IV flight deck, the FalconEye Combined Vision System, and the FalconConnect high-speed Internet connectivity package.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 4th April 2024 | Issue #742