Hawker Beechcraft to open new service facility in Delaware

Hawker Beechcraft Global
Customer Support (GCS) has announced it has finalised agreements with the
Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) and the Delaware Economic Development
Office to open a new Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) aircraft maintenance
facility at New Castle Airport in Wilmington
in Delaware.
The facility will serve as the northeast regional service center for HBS and
will ensure the world-class customer service and support expected from the
industry’s largest factory-owned service center network. It is expected to open
in the second quarter of 2012.

“Hawker Beechcraft has a
large fleet of customers residing in the Northeastern United
States where we have not had a factory-owned service center in
place for many years,” said Christi Tannahill, Hawker Beechcraft vice
president, GCS. “Our customers have been requesting such a facility in the
region and, with a dedication to providing a world-class customer experience,
we are responding to their interest. The current facility structure works well
in achieving this goal as it closely matches the criteria we set in selecting a
location to serve these customers.”

“Hawker Beechcraft is an international
leader in the development, construction, and maintenance of aircraft and the
DRBA is pleased to welcome a tenant of their reputation to the New Castle Airport,” said Bill Lowe, DRBA
Commission Chairman who noted that HBC’s decision illustrates the airport’s
appeal to the aviation community. “The sky’s the limit at New Castle Airport
and we look forward to a successful, long-term relationship with Hawker
Beechcraft.”

“This decision means another
great employer has chosen to locate in Delaware,
bringing 100 new jobs over the next five years,” said Delaware Governor Jack
Markell. “In the short term, we’re glad Hawker Beechcraft saw Delaware as the perfect fit for its
maintenance operations and we will work to make sure they are happy here in the
long term.”