Gulfstream is constructing a 115,000 sq ft MRO facility on the west side of Palm Beach International airport and adding staff, thereby increasing the services on offer to its customers.

The facility includes offices, back shops and an approximately 75,000 sq ft hangar, and will replace the smaller one Gulfstream now operates on the south side of the airport. The growth is expected to create approximately 50 jobs, leading to an almost 50 per cent increase in the workforce on site.

Gulfstream's facility will be adjacent to an all-new storage hangar, customer offices and fuel farm operated by sister company Jet Aviation. The entire facility will span more than 168,000 sq ft and Gulfstream and Jet Aviation are investing more than US$50 million in the project. Groundbreaking is scheduled for late this year, and the facility is expected to open by the first quarter of 2020.

“Our West Palm Beach site plays a major role in our service organisation, which has experienced sizeable growth over the last several years,” says president of customer support Derek Zimmerman. “Like other expansions we've announced this year in Savannah, Appleton in Wisconsin and Farnborough in the UK, and last year in Van Nuys, California, this expansion in West Palm Beach will keep our service network well-positioned to accommodate the growing demand for aircraft maintenance and refurbishment.

“The addition of this world-class facility will enhance the West Palm Beach customer and employee experience and help us maintain the service excellence we are known for. Additionally, we look forward to bringing more jobs to the community.”

Gulfstream has operated its West Palm Beach service centre, which has more than 46,000 sq ft of hangar space, since 2001. In 2017, the facility had more than 975 aircraft visits. Gulfstream West Palm Beach offers a broad range of services, including major inspections, structural modifications and repairs and major avionics installations and system upgrades. It is a certified FAA and EASA repair station and also has maintenance approvals from Argentina, Aruba, Bermuda, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, the Cayman Islands, the Isle of Man, Peru, San Marino and Venezuela.

Gulfstream West Palm Beach also supports a Gulfstream Field and Airborne Support Team (FAST) rapid response unit that assists operators in AOG situations. The unit, which comprises factory-trained technicians and a large custom truck outfitted with equipment and spare parts, is based at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport.

“This expansion was made possible by the contributions of many, including the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach County commissioners, the Palm Beach County Department of Airports, the West Palm Beach City Commission and the state of Florida's economic development team at Enterprise Florida,” adds VP of law and public affairs Jay Neely.