California-based aircraft maintenance provider and Bombardier Authorized Service Facility (ASF), ACI Jet, announced today a series of measures being taken to proactively address aircraft maintenance demand and service availability throughout the surge in flight activity related to the Super Bowl. Los Angeles-area airports could host as many as 2,000 business jet aircraft during the event, and keeping them flight ready for a safe and timely departure after the event will be the goal of every operator.
Bombardier Parts Depot & Citation Parts Inventory
In preparation for a surge in demand for parts, ACI Jet’s Parts Depot, which warehouses the most required Bombardier parts for both direct sales and owned inventory as well as Cessna Citation parts for the Repair Station, will be adding additional staff members in warehouse operations including parts runners and transportation. With the Central Coast of California location, ACI Jet will be able to offer same day delivery to most Southern California destinations in the days leading up to and after the event. Warehoused parts are for the Challenger and Global product lines and retail for the same prices as parts purchased directly through Bombardier, with some exceptions for fleet operators. In addition to enhanced staffing, commonly required parts for these and a suite of Citation models will be positioned at the company’s Orange County AOG service station for immediate access as needed.
Bombardier & Citation Parts: [email protected]
Repositioning Unscheduled/AOG Service Resources
To mitigate the impact of unscheduled maintenance both on the operator and the FBOs which will be negotiating tight arrival and departure windows and reduced operating space on their ramps, members of ACI Jet’s Central and Northern California AOG Maintenance Team will be positioned at strategic locations throughout Southern California, supplementing the support services already provided by the team at John Wayne Airport (KSNA). Four mobile maintenance trucks will be in operation around the area, plus 12-15 technicians providing service. Additional mobile maintenance resources through ACI Jet’s network of approved partners from Southern California and the Bay Area will be activated for additional support as required.
AOG Contacts: acijet.com/aog
The Repair Station and Unscheduled Heavy Maintenance
The on-call rotation for the company’s Part 145 Repair Station in San Luis Obispo, California will be amended to ensure that adequate staffing is available for larger unscheduled maintenance needs that are satisfied from within the company’s Repair Station. Any work requiring a hangar will likely require repositioning out of the densely packed airports surrounding the event, meaning SBP is perfectly positioned. In addition, as ACI Jet MRO is authorized to provide sales, service and installation for most major OEMs related to business jet operations, including Honeywell, Collins Aerospace, Garmin, Gogo Business Aviation, Satcom Direct, Viasat, Pratt & Whitney and GE Engines. There is a lot of support at one stop just a short distance away.
Reposition Time to SBP (Most Business Jets):
From HHR – :30 Minutes; From SNA – :36 Minutes; From VNY – :30 Minutes
Recommendations to Ease the Stress
“Plan early,” stated Rudy Cabling, ACI Jet’s AOG Maintenance Director for Orange County, when asked about planning for gameday. “Every maintenance provider in the area will largely be in triage mode, meaning it’s ever more important to be in the front of the line.” In addition, SVP of Maintenance, Dave Jensen, recommended reviewing the capabilities of the maintenance providers offering AOG services, putting it simply: “we’re not pulling anyone out of retirement to get more work. Our team is going to work hard to provide the best service possible, but we’ll only accept the work that we can complete safely. It’s strongly recommended that operators know who’s touching their aircraft during this operationally challenging time.”
ACI Jet Orange County (KSNA) will have an AOG Service Desk in operation leading up to and during the event. From this service desk, crew members will be able to start the ball rolling on their maintenance with one stop, one conversation, so they can focus on game day scheduling needs for themselves and their principals.
