Dassault Falcon Service Mérignac, the Falcon factory service center adjacent to Dassault Aviation’s final assembly facility near Bordeaux, celebrates its fifth year in operation.
DFS Mérignac opened in 2016 to serve large-cabin, long-range Falcon 7X and 8X trijets. The 7,500 sq meter, six-bay facility has been operating at maximum capacity for most of that time and has completed 35 of the 53 Falcon 7X C-checks accomplished by DFS over that period.
The C-check is the most extensive inspection operation, and for a Falcon 7X takes a minimum of six weeks to complete. It is performed after every eight years or 4,000 hours of service and is often accompanied by additional upgrades such as complete paint, Satcom Ka-band installation, avionics retrofits or refurbishment work.
Staffed by a crew of 62, the Mérignac center is equipped to handle structural repair, cabin refurbishment and modifications, avionics upgrades, carpentry and paintwork, in addition to heavy maintenance. It is now being expanded to service additional models, including the Falcon 900EX EASy and 2000EX EASy and Dassault’s new extra-widebody Falcon 6X, due to enter operation in 2022.
“The Mérignac facility has proved indispensable in multiple ways,” said Jean Kayanakis, senior vice president, worldwide Falcon customer service & service center network. “It has helped taking some of the heavy maintenance load off DFS’s busy Paris/Le Bourget facility. Besides, as the service facility most closely linked to our production and engineering teams, it is ideally suited to resolve complex maintenance issues. With the Dassault Aviation customer service organization now relocated from Paris to Mérignac, the service center has also become a resource for supporting maintenance solutions worldwide. Customers also appreciate its location just outside the attractive city of Bordeaux.”
Dassault Aviation operates 40 factory service centers and 20 authorized service facilities around the world. This capability, reinforced by the acquisition of the TAG and ExecuJet MRO networks, has helped make the company the number one OEM in Aviation International News’ annual support survey three years in a row.