CSE Citation Centre has been awarded maintenance approval for Citation 650 and 680 (Sovereign) aircraft. The company, based at Bournemouth, UK, aims to further expand its services in the future, whilst maintaining its focus purely on Citation aircraft.

The approval process began at the beginning of this year once CSE recognised the opportunity for growth it afforded, especially with the potential number of Sovereigns arriving in Europe.

“It’s a natural extension to our business; previously our service centre approval was only for the Cessna Citation 500 series,” said md Philip Lammiman. “We were looking for growth and, with the new Sovereign coming through, it was the ideal time to achieve that.

“To take on the Sovereign, however, we have had to take on the 650 as well – they are both effectively 600 series aeroplanes in Cessna’s eyes.

“We don’t have a great deal of demand for service on the 650, as there are limited numbers of that aircraft in Europe, though there are a couple in the UK, one of which we look after on a permanent basis.”

Deliveries of the Sovereign, which recently received FAA type certification, are set to commence in 2005. According to CSE, two deliveries have been confirmed for early 2005, with a third aircraft arriving later that year, for which they will provide complete service, including maintenance and warranty.

“We see it as a popular aeroplane; there appears to be a lot of European interest in it,” said Lammiman.

“The 680, with its almost 3,000nm range, is looking attractive. It also competes very well with the Hawker market, which people are gradually coming out of because of the high cost of maintenance.

“Cessna aircraft are not expensive to maintain and the 680, in particular, will be on an airline type MSG-3 maintenance basis, so the cost should work out at less than one man hour per flight hour.”

The MSG-3 maintenance programme is designed to reduce labour hour requirements and, as such, reduce aircraft maintenance costs.

By the end of this year, CSE will have invested £250,000 in the Sovereign project to pay for training, tooling and stock. By December, its staff will be trained and everything will be ready on-site for the delivery of the first aeroplane.

The company has built up a healthy client base, with the majority of its customers based in the UK – it services 60 of the 100 UK-registered Citations – and about 15 per cent of its service clients are based in mainland Europe. Lammiman believes that CSE’s strength lies in its dedication to Citation aircraft.

“We work by reputation,” he said, “and we only look after Citations. That is the major strength in the business because it means our staff are particularly well trained and knowledgeable on the aeroplanes.

“We have guys here who have been working with Citations since 1979. We don’t claim to be the cheapest in the world but an hour of our time is well spent because if someone comes to us with a problem with their aeroplane, invariably we have seen it before and can fix it straight away.”

According to CSE, one of the key factors that has enabled it to maintain, as well as develop, its customer base is the success of Cessna’s support programmes.

“ProParts and PowerAdvantage are programmes owners of aeroplanes contribute to Cessna and, when the aircraft is brought to us, the parts are already paid for,” said Lammiman.

The company owns a 35,000 sq ft hangar at its facility in Bournemouth, which can house up to eight aircraft for maintenance at any time.

As part of its development programme, CSE has applied for JAR 145 approval for line maintenance of the 750, though this is not part of its Citation Service Centre approval.

If it receives approval, the company will be able to offer maintenance for the full range of Citation aircraft.

Lammiman explains the decision: “There are 750s in our area, which occasionally need support and there is no support in the UK for that aeroplane.”