Flying Colours Corp has carried out three more interior completions of Bombardier Challenger 850 aircraft for Chinese clients, taking its total delivered into Asia, Russia and the Middle East to 10.
In eight months of work at the company’s Canadian and US facilities, each 13 to 15-seat aircraft was fitted out with complex communications systems, state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment, leather furnishings and exotic wood veneers with a high gloss. In one case, vacuum waste and smoke extraction systems, custom designed by Flying Colours for the 850, were also incorporated.
The aircraft, destined for private clients in mainland China and Hong Kong, will be operated by three separate operators and certified on the CAAC or Isle of Man registers. Five further 850 completions are in the pipeline for Chinese-based clients.
“We continue to see strong growth in Asia, primarily for mid-large sized jets,” says Flying Colours executive VP Sean Gillespie. “We are working with a number of major operators on a variety of Challenger and Gulfstream maintenance and refurbishment packages. We have already completed refurbishment of Global Express aircraft for the region.”
Exhibiting at ABACE in Shanghai in March, Flying Colours discussed plans to develop a regional presence with a local partner to mirror its facilities at Peterborough, Ontario and St Louis, Missouri. “Our planned facility will be the first of its kind in Asia dedicated to full refurbishment, maintenance and completions,” Gillespie says.
The company is also extending its training collaboration with Canada’s Fleming College. Flying Colours already offers an apprenticeship programme through the college and looks to source new employees from this pool. It plans to introduce a similar scheme in Asia.
“Developing locally skilled teams will improve efficiency, be cost-effective for clients, and will ensure we are aware of the latest trends and needs from this expanding market,” Gillespie adds.