Boeing Business Jets Announces New Authorized Service Center in the Mid-Atlantic Region
Boeing Business Jets today announced it has signed a service contract with the DeCrane Aircraft Systems Integration Group (PATS) in Georgetown, Del.
Able to perform warranty work on behalf of Boeing on the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), DeCrane will be designated as BBJ Authorized Warranty Repair Facility and BBJ Factory Authorized Service Center. The service center also will provide other maintenance, repair and overhaul services as required. DeCrane has extensive experience with Boeing Next-Generation 737 airplanes as well as aircraft modification and maintenance capabilities.
"With the addition of PATS, we can offer our customers yet another option for specialized BBJ service," said Boeing Business Jets Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Thomas Lindberg. "We've worked successfully with DeCrane for a number of years and are happy to further extend our partnership with them."
DeCrane has been installing the auxiliary fuel systems and other related modifications, including winglets, on the BBJ for the past two years. Eight in-service BBJs already have come through DeCrane for maintenance, modifications or support services. The DeCrane facility was expanded by 18,000 square feet last year and is currently undergoing a second expansion, giving them an additional 48,000 square feet of hangar and back shop space. DeCrane also is in the process of achieving designated alteration status (DAS), which allows the company to issue FAA supplemental type certificates. DAS is expected to be in place by the end of June.
The DeCrane facility will be a valuable addition to the existing BBJ Service Centers -- Associated Air in Dallas, Texas, and Jet Aviation in Switzerland -- which were named in February.
Designed for corporate and VIP applications, the BBJ is a special, high-performance derivative of the Next-Generation 737-700. The addition of auxiliary fuel tanks provides owners with a business jet platform having a maximum range capability of 6,200 nautical miles (11,482 kilometers), while requiring less than 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) of runway.
With cruising speeds of up to .82 Mach - equivalent to a ground speed of 550 miles per hour - the BBJ can serve such routes as Los Angeles to London or Paris, New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina, or London to Johannesburg, South Africa. The same CFM56-7 engines used on the Next-Generation 737 commercial airplanes power the BBJ.
The BBJ 2, announced in October 1999, is based on the 737-800. It has 25 percent more interior space and twice the luggage space of the BBJ. Production of the first BBJ 2 began in September 2000, and the first two "green" (no interior or paint) airplanes delivered earlier this month.
The BBJ and BBJ 2 provide unsurpassed levels of space, comfort and utility and are backed by a top-notch product support program with dedicated field service representatives around the world.
Boeing Business Jets is a joint venture with General Electric launched in July 1996 to respond to market demand for a larger, more capable business airplane that can fly more than 6,000 nautical miles. Since the program's inception, there have been 56 green BBJs delivered, and there are 27 completed BBJs in service.
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For further information:
Patricia York
(206) 662-5052
(206) 662-5052