Bombardier Aviation is to open a new service centre in Melbourne, Australia.

The 50,000 sq ft Melbourne Service Centre will offer scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, modifications, avionics installations and AOG support for Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft. It will have the capacity to service two Global 7500 aircraft at one time.

Located at Essendon Fields Airport, the OEM-operated facility will employ around 50 people, including more than 40 technicians, and will also feature a 4,000 sq ft parts depot.

Bombardier offers an introduction to the Melbourne Service Centre in the above video.

Construction is set to begin this year, with the facility scheduled to become operational in 2022.

Corey Trudgen, the former general manager of Bombardier’s Biggin Hill Service Centre in the UK, will assume the same role at the new facility in Melbourne. Trudgen has more than 25 years of experience in aviation.

Bombardier noted that more than half of the 168-aircraft strong Australian business fleet consisted of its planes.

Bombardier Aviation’s executive vice president, services and support, and corporate strategy Jean-Christophe Gallagher said the Melbourne Service Centre would build on “Bombardier’s commitment to Australia and the Asia Pacific region”.

He said: “By adding more specialised know-how and greater capacity to support more aircraft in this key location, we are providing our customers even more reasons to bring their jets home.”

Essendon Fields’ CEO Brendan Pihan said the airport would “now attract a sizeable proportion of all Bombardier aircraft in the region to Victoria for aircraft service and maintenance” and called the facility “a long-term commitment, by both parties”.