Dassault Aviation’s Global and Comprehensive Customer Support Program
Falcon operators enjoy the support of a worldwide network of aircraft after-service professionals, equipped with a range of state-of-the-art facilities, programs and tools, to help maintain their aircraft and keep them in the best flying condition.
In recent years, the Dassault MRO network has expanded dramatically through acquisition and organic growth, investing in new facilities and capabilities.
For example, the company opened a major new MRO center in Dubai in 2023 and will open another in Kuala Lumpur for Asia early in 2024. It will open a flagship MRO facility for the Americas in Melbourne, Florida in 2025 and is repositioning an enlarged MRO facility in the São Paulo area. The objective is top-notch service around the world, with more than 60 service facilities – both factory-owned and authorized – close to the customer.
Falcon Customer Service Mission
Since the first Falcon entered service in 1965, Dassault Aviation has strived to build a global customer support organization capable of providing operators with the highest level of safety, reliability, operating efficiency and customer value throughout the life cycle of the aircraft.
This demanding mission is the responsibility of Falcon Customer Service, widely recognized as today’s industry benchmark in aftermarket support.
Comprised of more than 2,200 dedicated professionals from throughout the Dassault Aviation Group and today backed up by a worldwide network of MRO facilities, spare parts warehouses and field service offices, Falcon Customer Service supports more than 2,100 Falcons flown by 1,300 operators in nearly 100 countries around the globe.
Building one of business aviation’s largest support network
A surge in Dassault investment in 2019 considerably expanded the group’s factory-owned maintenance, repair and overhaul and spare parts networks. The company purchased the MRO activities of ExecuJet and TAG Aviation and opened a new state-of-the-art spares distribution center near Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, dedicated to customers in the Eastern Hemisphere.
All told, these acquisitions added 17 factory-owned facilities and more than 1,000 service professionals to our global service network and proactively positioned the company to support a growing and more globally dispersed customer base.
To streamline this enlarged service organization, the company subsequently combined Dassault Aviation Business Services (formerly TAG Maintenance Services) and ExecuJet MRO Services, operation along with its Dassault Falcon Service and Dassault Falcon Jet subsidiaries, into a new sales organization intended to simplify access to customers of these affiliates.
One point of contact for sales and scheduling
For the EMEA and the APAC regions, the new unit provides a single dedicated sales point of contact for each customer, irrespective of where their aircraft are maintained; a central planning department entrusted with identifying the best service solution, location, and schedule for individual customer requirements; and a single engineering department offering aftermarket products and services, cabin refurbishment, connectivity and cockpit updates and other modification services.
Product support around the globe…
Falcon support facilities are strategically located around the globe, close to customers and major business aviation markets. One advantage of a globally dispersed network is the ability to dispatch GoTeams and parts to customers who may be AOG, and to provide full service center capability close to their home base or wherever their aircraft may be. The network includes more than 60 service centers and 15 spares distribution facilities, and includes four operating affiliates:
• Dassault Aviation Business Services (DABS) (mainly Europe)
• Dassault Falcon Jet (DFJ) (Americas)
• Dassault Falcon Service (DFS) (mainly Europe)
• ExecuJet MRO Services (Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific)
Americas
Dassault Falcon Jet (DFJ), headquartered in Teterboro,NJ, operates three full service centers, serving operators throughout the Americas:
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Reno, Nevada
• Catarina, Brazil
DFJ is building a new flagship MRO facility for the Americas in Melbourne, Florida. Opening in 2025. DFJ also maintains four line service facilities:• Teterboro, New Jersey
• Stuart, Florida
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Denver, Colorad
Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa
Dassault Falcon Service (DFS) operates two full service centers dedicated to EMEA – customers:
• Paris-Le Bourget, France
• Bordeaux-Mérignac, France (co-located with
Falcon final assembly and Dassault Engineering)
along with three line facilities:
• Rome, Italy
• Nice, France
• Dakar, Sénégal
Dassault Aviation Business Services (DABS), also dedicated to the European market, operates two service centers:
• Geneva, Switzerland
• Lisbon, Portugal
and four line facilities:
• Basel, Switzerland
• Lugano, Switzerland
• Farnborough, UK
• Luton, UK
ExecuJet MRO Services serves operators in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia/Oceania. It operates eight service centers:
• Brussels, Belgium
• Dubai, UAE (one of the company’s newest and largest MRO facilities, which opened in 2023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
• Kortrijk, Belgium
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Dassault opens a new and expanded major maintenance center in KL in early 2024)
• Melbourne, Australia
• Perth, Australia
ExecuJet also runs four line stations:
• Brisbane, Australia
• Sydney, Australia
• Wellington, New Zealand
• Auckland, New Zealand
…And around the clock
The Dassault MRO network is supported by a full range of aftermarket services intended to return Falcons to the air as quickly as possible whenever an operating issue arises.
Falcon Command Center – The Falcon command center tracks Aircraft-On-Ground events and other customer issues across the globe, around the clock from facilities in Bordeaux-Mérignac, France; Teterboro, New Jersey; and Boise, Idaho.
Staffed with customer service engineers, systems specialists and spares coordinators, the center can marshal all the resources of Dassault Aviation to solve customer problems, troubleshoot failures and organize rapid on-site assistance.
GoTeams – A network of 250 specially trained GoTeam technicians is available 24/7 to troubleshoot grounded aircraft. The GoTeams are assisted by a web of more than 100 Field Reps at 35 Dassault Aviation field offices in 16 countries, designed to coordinate AOG activities and provide necessary engineering support. Additionally, a dedicated team is on call 24/7 to handle structural repair.
Falcon Response – To minimize Aircraft on Ground (AOG) time, operators can turn to Falcon Response, a comprehensive portfolio of services that guarantees the availability of spare parts, tools and engineering resources needed to put a grounded Falcon back into the air as quickly as possible.
Falcon Response can leverage the full resources of the Falcon Command Center and its worldwide team of GoTeams, technical reps and customer service managers in responding to AOG events.
Two dedicated Falcon Airborne Support aircraft are available to dispatch spare parts, tools and GoTeams to the site of an AOG. Based at Teterboro and Le Bourget, these long-range Falcon 900 jets can also provide alternative lift for stranded customers – an industry first.
Maximizing Customer Value
Business jet operators are under constant pressure to optimize costs and operating efficiency while maintaining the highest residual value of their assets. Dassault offers a full spectrum of training, flight support and spare parts services, engineering and maintenance tools to keep Falcons in peak working order throughout the life cycle of the aircraft.
• World-Class Training
Keeping Falcons in top condition and maintaining safe, efficient aircraft operation starts with proper training. Training services are offered by authorized partners and an in-house training academy.
Authorized Training Partners – Pilot and maintenance training is provided by two Authorized Training Partners — CAE and FlightSafety International – at numerous training centers around the world, enabling instruction to be dispensed as close as possible to the operator’s premises. Training and course materials are audited regularly by Dassault experts to ensure they adhere to company standards and recommendations. Offerings are updated as required to meet evolving regulatory requirements.
Dassault Training Academy – Contractual training is complemented by in-house OEM instruction offered by the Dassault Training Academy (DTA) and tailored to individual operator requirements and fleet models. The DTA can also operate at customers’ locations when needed.
These courses include:
. Aircraft-based training for added takeoff and landing type ratings and instructor/examiner type rating courses, dispensed through Dassault Aviation’s EASA Approved Training Organization certificate.
. Flight crew briefings and in-flight assistance.
. Cabin familiarization training, designed to provide a comprehensive rundown of satcom, flight cabin management, galley equipment and cabin amenities, and other capabilities conducted on the customer aircraft.
. Practical maintenance training – the first practical training authorization ever granted to a business jet OEM. The latest iteration of this offering is Falcon Immersive Practical Training, which employs virtual reality (VR) and hands-on training techniques to put technicians through the paces as if they were working on an actual aircraft.
. Structural repair, composite repair, non-destructive testing, and other maintenance and repair courses offered in partnership with Aerocampus Aquitaine in Latresne, France, near Bordeaux, and in Fort Worth, Texas.
• Innovative Flight operations support
Dassault provides a full line of innovative products and services to help pilots maximize the safety, availability and efficiency of their aircraft.
Pilot Operational Support teams – Assists pilots in their day-to-day flight operations. Pilot Operational Support Teams, based in Teterboro, New Jersey; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Saint-Cloud, France, are available to answer technical and operational queries before and after each Falcon delivery. These teams also conduct pre-delivery briefings and familiarization training, starting well before the aircraft arrives in the customer’s hands. The teams also assist in meeting specific regional regulatory requirements and support customer communication events such as Dassault’s annual Maintenance and Operations Seminars.
Pilot apps – A range of special application tools are available to help operators get the most out of their Falcon aircraft. These include:
. FalconPerf, for optimized takeoff and landing performance
. eWB, for fast, accurate pre-flight Weight & Balance calculations
. ePM, for optimized flight planning and en-route performance data computations
. Falcon Flight Doc app on iPad. Developed specifically for pilots and applicable for all Falcon models, this app, directly synchronized to the Falcon Customer Portal, ensures customer aircraft remain up to date with the latest flight manual revisions and operational publications.
. eDispatch, available for Falcon 7X and 8X aircraft, analyzes dispatch data from different Dassault documents (MMEL, PAL CDL, NEF/NSRI) to generate timely information on dispatch conditions based on Fault and CAS messages. The eDispatch app can be used in lieu of the easy Dispatch Guide (eDG).
. eWAS provides worldwide graphical weather observations and forecasts and supports detailed weather analysis along the flight plan both before and during the flight.
. eOFP (electronic operational flight plan), displays third-party flight plans from sources such as Jeppesen or Universal, including charts, and also reports flight data on the navigation log during the flight.
. FalconWays, introduced in 2023, optimizes routing to best take advantage of wind patterns, reducing fuel consumption and required fuel load, with corresponding reductions in emissions. FalconWays was a 2023 Aviation Week Laureates award winner for technical advancement and environmental benefits.
• Spare parts performance
AOG orders can be shipped anywhere in the world within two hours or less. Currently, Dassault maintains more than 80,000 parts numbers worth more than $900 million in its global spares inventory. Parts are stored at two central warehouses – in Teterboro, New Jersey, and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France – and at 12 Regional Distribution Centers:
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Reno, Nevada
• São Paulo, Brazil
• Lagos, Nigeria
• Johannesburg, South Africa
• Dubai, UAE
• Mumbai, India
• Singapore
• Hong Kong, China
• Beijing, China
• Sydney, Australia
The new flagship distribution center in Tremblay-en-France, near Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, considerably improves the speed and efficiency of parts distribution to customers in the Eastern Hemisphere. The 180,000-square-foot (16,500 sq meter) facility is equipped with vertical lift machines, carrier robots and advanced picking equipment and an ultra-modern parts management system that vastly improves logistics monitoring and handling efficiency.
Falcon Advantage is a new Spares program that provides enrolled members with special discounts, extended warranties and other exclusive benefits. With a minimal membership fee, members become eligible for exclusive benefits, including an 10% discount on nearly 90% of Falcon parts, free shipping on cores returned within ten days and a 3% discount on brake exchanges. Members can also benefit from improved warranties.
• Fixed-price plans to manage maintenance costs
Falcon customers have access to a wide range of plans designed to help them manage their fleet more efficiently and save costs.
FalconCare is the most comprehensive guaranteed maintenance cost management plan in the industry. Introduced in 2005, it provides operators with a full range of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance services that ensure predictable and stable annual costs year in and year out.
Dassault recently expanded the program to meet a broader range of customer needs and budgets. Based on feedback from flight departments and the Falcon Operator Advisory Board, the expanded pay-as-you-fly service offers operators three different levels of coverage in accordance with their particular maintenance needs:
. FalconCare Essential, the basic offering, covers the full cost of genuine Dassault spare parts, with additional services available as on option.
. FalconCare Select allows operators to custom select a package of services best meeting their needs.
. FalconCare Elite is an all-inclusive offering covering parts, labor and consumables as well as AOG GoTeam service, documentation, exchange items like batteries and wheels and other maintenance services.
Each plan includes a FalconCare Efficiency Bonus, which provides operators with a financial reward for engaging in the most cost-effective maintenance practices. And each allows operators to establish a Flex Spending Account for miscellaneous costs outside FalconCare coverage.
Falcon Maintenance Doc is an interactive app that enables customers to easily consult, update and manage up-to-date maintenance, repair and logistics documentation. Like Falcon flight manuals, the Falcon Maintenance Doc is available on iPad or tablet devices.
FalconBroadcast ensures Falcons are always mission ready by identifying maintenance issues in flight and providing instant alerts to operators and ground maintenance crews via satellite so they can be addressed as quickly as possible.
• Unparalled aftermarket solutions
Falcon Customer Service offers a range of upgrade and STC solutions designed to keep both in-production and out-of-production Falcons at the state of the art. Offerings include:
. WAAS GPS
. New FMS
. ADS-B Out
. FANS 1A+
. LCD cockpit displays
. LED lighting
. a wide array of connectivity solutions from Air-to-Ground to L-Band, Ku-Band and Ka-Band Satcom
. EASy IV flight deck upgrade for the latest Falcons and other EFIS upgrade packages for legacy aircraft
. Full cabin refurbishment with the latest IFE cabin systems and connectivity solutions
. Painting
More than 1,100 Classic Falcons are flying around the world, including a few built way back in the ‘60s – proof of both Dassault’s commitment to supporting Falcons throughout their entire life cycle and the sturdiness and longevity of Falcon aircraft.
Some of the most popular upgrades are:
. Falcon Elite II, which combines Honeywell electronic flight displays with synthetic vision features
. FMS software functionalities like LPV that ensure compliance with new air traffic management regulations
. JetWave Satcom antenna suites designed to support FalconConnect connectivity services, electronic charts/maps, XM weather overlays and other enhancements that allow operators to access a larger number of airports, utilize FANS1/A+ for transatlantic crossings, etc.