De Havilland Canada has extended its partnership with the global aerospace services provider Fokker Services. The Canadian aircraft manufacturer will now benefit from the expertise of Fokker Services for an additional five-year period.
As part of the extended agreement, Fokker Services will provide a 27,000-square-foot warehouse in Amsterdam, in addition to third-party operations to support De Havilland Canada's parts distribution services. Among the services offered are inbound receiving and stocking of components, picking, packaging, shipping, and quality control.
The partnership will ensure the continued delivery of enhanced services to customers. De Havilland Canada's vice president of aftermarket and business development, Leighton Storsley, celebrated the news, saying,
“This agreement with Fokker Services further demonstrates De Havilland Canada’s commitment to bring distribution network solutions close to our customers to achieve better lead times and reduced freight costs. While some of our peers are pulling back from their global distribution network, De Havilland Canada is showing additional commitment to ours.”
A growing partnership
Fokker Services' chief executive officer, Menzo van der Beek, underlined the benefits that the company can continue to bring to De Havilland Canada's operation, saying,
“Fokker Services has supported the De Havilland Canada’s Dash 8 Component Solutions program and its customers around the world for many years, so we’re delighted to not only continue this support agreement but also become De Havilland Canada’s partner of choice for their spares distribution warehouse in EMEA. Thanks to our global presence, the engineering skills of our employees, and a vast array of in-house capabilities, we’re uniquely positioned to face any component repair challenge, shortening turnaround times, and guaranteeing De Havilland Canada’s stringent standards of quality."
De Havilland Canada's worldwide presence
In addition to the site in Amsterdam, De Havilland Canada's three other distribution centers are located in Singapore, Calgary, and Sydney. Together, they provide support for the global fleet of more than 990 DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft and more than 1,100 Dash 8 aircraft.
Among the largest operators of the Dash 8 are QantasLink, WestJet Encore, Widerøe, and Ethiopian Airlines. Their fleets boast 50, 47, 42, and 33 Dash 8 aircraft, respectively. India's SpiceJet will soon have the most Dash 8s of any carrier when the 25 aircraft it has on order join the 28 already in the fleet. Widerøe's chief operating officer, Morten Skoglund, said,
"We are encouraged to see De Havilland Canada’s ongoing support to their European operations. We look forward to ongoing and solid service to our fleet in the years to come."
When it comes to the smaller DHC-6 Twin Otter, Trans Maldivian Airways' 61-strong fleet is by far the largest of any airline, followed by that of Grand Canyon Airlines. According to data from ch-aviation.com, Trans Maldivian Airways' DHC-6 Twin Otters have an average age ranging from 11.9 years old all the way to 55.9 years old, depending on the variant.
Which US operators fly the most De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft? Find out here.
What do you think of the extended partnership between De Havilland Canada and Fokker Services? Share your thoughts by commenting below.
Source: ch-aviation.com