Two months after acquiring the former Avalon Aero business aviation MRO at London Biggin Hill Airport, Oriens Aviation has formally relaunched the facility—Oriens Maintenance Services—as an authorized Pilatus Aircraft service center. The move follows what the UK and Ireland Pilatus sales distributor calls an "excellent" 2017, in which fresh customers took delivery of five new aircraft, the PC-12 company demonstrator was sold, and a first new-build PC-12 delivery position was secured for this year.

Indeed, there has been such interest in the Swiss turboprop single that the company expects to see PC-12s being flown under recent European regulations permitting commercial single-engine turbine IFR operations, according to Oriens Aviation sales director Craig Lammiman.

With responsibility for British Isles sales and its proximity to European PC-12 customers, Oriens Aviation is "well placed to play a facilitating and advisory role" for Irish, UK, or European commercial operators and to assist owners "who might choose to put aircraft under management [contracts] and gain revenue from charter,” said Oriens Aviation chief executive Edwin Brenninkmeyer. Oriens performed more than 150 demonstration flights last year, he added.

Acquisition of the MRO facility from Avalon Aero, which also provides BAe 146 line and base maintenance at its Cranfield base north of London, included transfer of the lease on an 18,000-sq-ft/1,670-sq-m hangar and a seven-strong masintenance team now led by a newly appointed director. Brenninkmeyer said the availability of the MRO came "at exactly the right time in our expansion." Oriens also has an agreement with Goodwood Aircraft Engineering, which will act as a satellite PC-12 service center.