Bombardier Formally Opens Business Aviation Services Center At Dallas Love Field.

Business Editors

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 2000

With the official opening of its seventh U.S. business aircraft service center, at Dallas Love Field here today, Bombardier Aerospace has further demonstrated its commitment to the highest standard of support for the operators of more than 200 Learjet(R) and Challenger(R) business jets based in Texas and Mexico. The new center will also serve Bombardier's growing customer base throughout the southern United States and Central America.

The opening of the new Bombardier Aerospace, Business Aviation Services facility was attended by more than 200 customers and Bombardier employees, as well as local dignitaries and Kenneth Gwyn, Director of Aviation, Dallas Love Field Airport. Federal aviation administration (FAA) assistant division manager for the southwest region Ronald Nelson presented the firm with its Part 145 Repair Station Certificate which authorizes the facility to perform aircraft maintenance.

Bombardier invested approximately $7 million US to develop and equip the new center. The Dallas site operates from 7:30 a.m., to midnight, Monday through Friday, with a total staff of 66 specialists including 40 licensed technicians -- a number expected to grow to more than 75 over the summer and to about 100 by year-end. The new center brings Bombardier's Dallas-area employment -- including other operations nearby -- to more than 1,000 persons.

The 43,500-square-foot Dallas facility can accommodate up to four Challenger and seven Learjet aircraft at once. It features seven customer offices and the latest computer and telephone systems, as well as a stockrooms and capability for limited aircraft refurbishing and paint touch-ups.

According to Bombardier's Dallas general manager Steve McNally, "As a factory service center, we are committed to delivering unsurpassed service and efficient maintenance techniques. We will offer well-trained personnel, the most extensive parts inventory and a highly efficient network of resources from which to draw."

Mick Harrison, regional vice-president, Bombardier Aviation Services noted: "This is only the beginning for what we believe will soon become one of the busiest sites in our network. In addition to maintenance, modifications and parts for the complete line-up of Learjet and Challenger aircraft, the Dallas center will add coverage of the Bombardier Global Express(R) ultra long-range business aircraft in 2001 and the Continental(1) Business Jet, when it joins the fleet in 2002."

The Business Aviation Services network also includes Hartford, Conn.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Indianapolis; Wichita, Kan.; Denver; and Tucson, Ariz. The company also operates an eighth business aircraft service location at Shoenefeld Airport, Berlin, in co-operation with Lufthansa Technik.

Across its eight locations, the Business Aviation Services network has 1.1 million square feet of space and its 2,000-plus employees service more than 500 aircraft per month, focusing exclusively on Bombardier-built Learjet, Challenger and Global Express business aircraft.

According to Jim Ziegler, vice-president and general manager of Business Aviation Services and Learjet Operations, "Dallas is a major center of business aviation activity, so we're very pleased to add it to our U.S. network.

"The new capacity here in Dallas will also help reduce lead times for customers throughout our U.S. network," Mr. Ziegler added. He also praised local civic support from the City of Dallas and the Airport Authority, both of which supplied vital support and guidance in establishing this new facility.

Bombardier Aerospace's other Dallas-area operations include the company's Flexjet(R) business aircraft fractional ownership program; U.S. business aircraft sales headquarters (co-located with Flexjet); and a Learjet pilot-training center at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (scheduled to open this autumn, and to be operated in conjunction with SimuFlite).

Bombardier Aerospace, a unit of Bombardier Inc., is the world's premier business, regional and amphibious aircraft manufacturer. With full design and production capabilities in three countries, it offers the most comprehensive families of turboprop and regional jet aircraft and the widest range of business jets. It also provides the Flexjet fractional business aircraft ownership program, technical services, aircraft maintenance and pilot training for business, regional airline and military customers.

Bombardier Inc., a diversified manufacturing and service company, is a world leading manufacturer of business jets, regional aircraft, rail transportation equipment and motorized recreational products. It is also a provider of financial services and asset management. The Corporation employs 56,000 people in 12 countries in North America, Europe and Asia, and more than 90 per cent of its revenues are generated outside Canada. Bombardier's revenues for its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2000, totalled $13.6 billion Cdn.

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