Bombardier has entered into share purchase agreements with Lufthansa Technik and ExecuJet Aviation Group to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS) that it does not own. This transaction enables Bombardier to further expand its worldwide customer support footprint by establishing a wholly-owned service centre in Berlin. The transactions are subject to customary closing conditions with closings anticipated to occur before the end of the year.

“We have had a strong presence in Germany for many years, and we are proud that these significant transactions will continue to grow our presence in Europe as we work towards establishing a wholly-owned Bombardier service centre in Berlin,” says Jean-Christophe Gallagher, VP and GM of customer experience at Bombardier Aviation. “This investment is critical to the expansion of our service footprint in Europe and around the world, and as the service centre is set to become a wholly-owned Bombardier service centre, our customers will benefit from even more advantages and expertise offered by the OEM.”

Strategically located at Berlin-Schönefeld airport, the service centre has been providing MRO services to Bombardier business aircraft customers since 1997. With more than 160,000 sq ft of service capacity and 240 highly-skilled employees on site, the service centre provides customers with the highest-level maintenance and support for Bombardier's growing fleet of Learjet, Challenger and Global business jets based in Europe, Russia, Africa and the Middle East.

“With this direction, we continue to develop new reasons for customers to bring their jets to this location, and seek new ways for customers to benefit from the highest quality standards displayed by the dedicated, skilled teams on site,” adds Gallagher. “As Bombardier charts a new course with its jet customers at the heart of our activities, we will continue to look for ways to actively grow the service footprint and optimise our service standard for our customers.”

Elsewhere, Bombardier's 24th annual Safety Standdown, set for 21 October will be completely virtual. The theme for the event is ‘Safety in Focus 20/20’ and it prompts aviation professionals and organisations to question how to turn their vision of a safer, more efficient organisation into reality, turning theory into practice.

“For more than 20 years, we have led the industry in providing aviation professionals with knowledge-based aviation training, and this year's virtual event builds on this very important goal,” says Bombardier's VP of customer support Andy Nureddin. “While we have changed the format this year to ensure attendees remain safe and secure, the goal of Standdown remains to foster a community of aviation professionals who are committed to lifelong learning and to disseminating higher standards of safety and professionalism throughout the industry. I am confident our new format will continue to underscore this essential premise.”