Gulfstream Aerospace is adding spare-parts inventory valued at $4.5 million to its Luton, England, service center to support the growing fleet of Gulfstream business jets operating in Europe and the Middle East. The additional inventory will include spare parts for the Gulfstream G200, GIV, GV, G350, G450, G500 and G550.

“In the past year we have seen a significant increase in our sales activity in Europe and the Middle East,” said Larry Flynn, president of product support at Gulfstream. “By increasing the number of spare parts at Luton, we are ensuring that both existing and future Gulfstream aircraft operators in this region receive the parts they need as fast as possible. From Luton, we’ll be able to ship parts overnight to locations throughout Europe and the Middle East.” Gulfstream’s Luton service center currently manages a limited onsite parts inventory used by service technicians while performing maintenance at the facility.

The company also announced that it had recently completed its 1,000th airborne product support flight since it first introduced its on-demand maintenance service in May 2002. Of the 1,000 flights, 78 have been cross-border to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.

“We were the first business-jet manufacturer to offer this value-added customer service and are still the only one to dedicate an airplane solely for this purpose,” Flynn said. “It has proved to be a compelling selling factor for new aircraft. Gulfstream operators know they can count on us when they need our help the most.”

The service, which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, uses a dedicated G100 to transport technicians and/or flight-essential parts to aircraft under warranty
at airports within North America, Central America and the Caribbean. In cases where an operator’s aircraft is located outside the G100’s range of service, Gulfstream will fly the needed parts and technicians to a major hub where they can connect to airline flights to reach the customer’s aircraft. The program employs eight dedicated pilots and a full-time manager who oversees the operation.