Bombardier is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Smart Services cost-per-flight-hour programmes. More than 1,500 Bombardier aircraft are enrolled in Smart Services programmes, representing more than 11 million total flight hours.

The programmes, including Smart Services Elite and Smart Services Defense, deliver comprehensive cost coverage for major systems such as component exchanges, avionics, tyres, brakes, corrosion protection and more, providing customers with essential peace of mind and budget predictability. Today, operators around the world, including many fleet customers, rely on Smart Services programmes to help ensure predictable maintenance costs while benefiting from an elevated client experience. In addition to comprehensive maintenance cost coverage, Smart Services go beyond standard support. With a dedicated account manager assigned to every customer, operators benefit from proactive, personalised guidance from someone who knows their aircraft, understands their operational needs and helps ensure they get the most value from their programme.

“For 40 years, Smart Services have helped redefine what customers expect from aircraft support by delivering predictable maintenance costs and a premium ownership experience,” says Bill Molloy, vice president, aftermarket sales, defence and parts at Bombardier. “As we celebrate this milestone, we are not only reflecting on four decades of innovation and customer collaboration, we are looking ahead to the next 40 years of support excellence. Our customers' needs continue to evolve, and we remain committed to expanding our capabilities and delivering increasingly comprehensive support solutions that provide confidence for years to come.”

This focus on customer support has continued to shape the evolution of Smart Services. The origins of today's Smart Services programmes trace back 40 years to the launch of Bombardier's pioneering Smart Parts programme, one of the industry's first cost-per-flight-hour solutions. Bombardier was first in the aviation industry to launch cost-per-flight-hour coverage on airframe system components with the Smart Parts programme in 1986. What began with predictable parts cost coverage has steadily expanded over the decades, with the introduction of new capabilities and services that have kept pace with the evolution of business aviation. Today, the Smart Services portfolio reflects four decades of continuous evolution, delivering broader, more integrated support throughout the aircraft lifecycle. Smart Services Defense was introduced in February 2024, targeting special-mission, medevac, head-of-state and government operators of Challenger and Global series aircraft. At launch, Bombardier's defence portfolio comprised some 500 specialised aircraft accumulating more than three million fleet hours across more than 160 operators in more than 50 countries.

Smart Services Elite builds on Bombardier's existing Smart Services portfolio with expanded maintenance cost coverage for major components, including scheduled and unscheduled aircraft systems and landing gear overhauls, as well as cost coverage for parts shipping, technical publications and support, a guaranteed flight-hour rate for the term, subject to annual adjustments, and mobile response team (MRT) cost coverage. Smart Services Defense extends this offering through cost-per-flight-hour programmes tailored specifically for defence customers, leveraging Bombardier's 40 years of Smart Services expertise to ensure predictable maintenance costs for essential aircraft parts and services.

As Bombardier continues to expand its global aftermarket capabilities and invest in innovative customer support solutions, Smart Services will remain a cornerstone of the company's customer support strategy.

Bombardier reports a worldwide operational fleet of more than 5,200 aircraft and 10 service facilities across six countries.