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Flying Colours Corp. the refurbishment, completions and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) specialist, will be attending this year’s Asian Business Aviation Conference (ABACE) in buoyant mood as it records a 40 per cent annual growth at its Singapore facility.
Since opening three years ago at the Bombardier Business Aircraft’s Service Centre at Seletar Airport, Singapore, Flying Colours has continued to maximize the Asian market’s hunger for highly specialized interiors knowledge by providing a full-service interior offering that complements Bombardier’s fully certified repair station.
“We are excited by this year’s progress. The facility has been extremely busy since we launched, and we’ve seen a notable increase in demand and requests over the last 12 months,” said Eric Gillespie, executive VP, Flying Colours Corp. “Indications are that this will continue into the future too. We’ve also added, and are training, four new team members, bringing our total workforce to 18, to ensure we maintain the required capacity and standards.
Since ABACE 2016, Flying Colours Corp Asia PTE. Ltd has worked on more than 50 interior projects at the facility, with cabinetry refinishing and soft furnishing refurbishment/repairs comprising most of the work. Customers include operators, private individuals and corporates seeking high quality refurbishment without the inconvenience of flying aircraft to North America or Europe.
“Mobile repairs are also part of the services we offer and have proved popular as it reduces costs and down time for the owner,” said Gillespie.
He adds the growth has been driven by a maturing market, which understands the value of refurbishing and repairing interiors in an economic climate where currency fluctuations, changing regulations and uncertainty have stalled new aircraft purchasing. “The market is getting more sophisticated and savvy aircraft owners, and buyers, are realizing that refurbishment and overhaul can be a good choice for their needs.”
In addition to the work undertaken in Singapore, Flying Colours Corp’s North American facilities have redelivered five completely overhauled aircraft to the region. Resorts World of Malaysia is now operating two CRJ200 conversions outfitted to fly the leisure company’s elite customers between resorts; and Sparke Roll of China has taken delivery of two aircraft configured for corporate shuttles, and one executive VIP format.
A further two more Sparkle Roll aircraft are currently in the pipeline. All aircraft underwent extensive maintenance as well as interior overhauls.
“ABACE will give us an opportunity to tell the market about the latest interiors and connectivity trends, which are developing at such a pace, it’s important the market understands what is available,” said Gillespie. “We will also be talking about our relationship with Inairvation, the 50-50 joint venture between Lufthansa Technik AG (LHT) and F.LIST GmbH. The Inairvation components are pre-designed and tested so owners can benefit from reduced costs, and lower down time if selected. It’s a great option for owners of Global Express and Gulfstream models and is proving popular with a number of our existing clients.”
Flying Colours is currently in advanced discussions with an Asian client about this option.
