ExecuJet MRO Services has recently completed heavy maintenance C-checks on two Falcon 900EX aircraft. One is a VIP aircraft operated by Papua New Guinea's national carrier Air Niugini and the other is an Australian registered aircraft used by a mining company. The VIP aircraft is under FalconCare, a comprehensive Dassault Aviation maintenance cost programme designed to help customers manage their maintenance budgets. Only factory-owned or Dassault authorised MRO service centres are permitted to work on aircraft under the FalconCare programme.

“Air Niugini's decision to send the aircraft to our Sydney maintenance base centre demonstrates the confidence the flag carrier has in our ability,” says vice president ExecuJet MRO Services Australia Grant Ingall.

Heavy maintenance checks are lined up on two Falcon 2000 aircraft as well.

The company has strengthened its position as a centre of excellence for Dassault Aviation in Australasia by investing in additional equipment and further training on Dassault aircraft types. “We have further consolidated our position as a factory-owned Dassault Aviation MRO organisation by investing in more tooling and training,” says Ingall.

ExecuJet maintenance technicians and engineers are continuing to be sent from Australia to Dassault Aviation in France and the US for advanced technical training on Dassault aircraft types. The company has also invested in new tooling from Dassault.

“The new training and tooling includes horizontal stabiliser rear hinge bushing measurement training, which relies on the precision use of a Subito bore gauge to check wear tolerances to a very high degree of accuracy,” he continues. “We have also upgraded our non-destructive testing (NDT) capabilities so we can perform the ultrasonic inspection of the horizontal stabiliser, a task we previously had to bring in specialists from Dassault to perform.”

The Dassault aircraft types that ExecuJet can perform these inspections on includes all models of the Falcon 50, Falcon 900, Falcon 2000 and Falcon 7X/8X.

“Investing in the specific tooling and training to perform these complex tasks in-country positions ExecuJet and Australia as a centre of excellence for maintenance of Dassault aircraft,” he adds.

Since February 2020, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has approved ExecuJet MRO Services Australia to do line and heavy maintenance on all in-production types: Falcon 7X/8X, Falcon 900LX and Falcon 2000LXS. ExecuJet is also approved by CASA to service some of the out-of-production models, namely the: Falcon 50/50EX, Falcon 900/C/DX/EX/EX EASy and Falcon 2000/EX/LX.

Besides line and heavy maintenance, ExecuJet has also been providing services for customers looking to purchase an aircraft.

“We perform pre-purchase inspections (PPIs) and detailed checks of maintenance records for the aircraft that our customers are intending to buy to help them get an accurate assessment and make the right calls,” says Ingall.

ExecuJet has been busy performing aircraft inspections and maintenance record assessments for buyers of pre-owned business jets.

“The business jet market in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere is experiencing very strong demand for new and pre-owned aircraft. Pre-owned aircraft are being snapped up quickly, with many new buyers entering the market, drawn by the convenience and flexibility that business aviation provides. In my 30 plus years in business aviation, I have never seen the market for pre-owned business jets so strong. It is quite amazing,” he adds.