While conceding that the business aviation market is heading for “interesting times,” GDC Technics (Stand 698) is capping off a recent few months in which the company has received multiple awards, including a nine-aircraft contract for 787 completions. The award, through Boeing and a customer of the aircraft, calls for engineering work on the 787s to begin in 2018 and stretches the GDC backlog to 2022.
While not disclosing the customer, GDC CEO Charles Celli said the aircraft would be fitted for part-VIP, part-commercial use. The contract is in addition to the two 787s at GDC facilities now undergoing work that are slated for completion in the second and third quarter of next year.
Speaking to AIN yesterday here at MEBAA, Mohammed Alzeer, general partner of GDC Technics, said the contracts come as the company has spent the past two years preparing for the next five years. “It is no secret that these are tough times for the completions business,” Alzeer said. “While new aircraft sales have slipped, the number of VVIP completion centers has mushroomed, and that combination creates risk for the customer.”
He noted GDC has spent more than $20 million to develop new technologies in the past two years to be prepared for the customer base. While stressing this is how the industry should operate, many wait for the customer before developing the technology, he said. Along with investing in technologies, the company has improved its processes to increase efficiency three-fold and reduce operations costs over the past 18 months, he said. This is paying dividends in a backlog that he said is among the healthiest in the industry.
Even with the recent contracts, which also include work on a 777, Celli said GDC has plenty of capacity for additional work with more than one million square feet split between its facilities in Fort Worth and San Antonio, Texas.
Another area of concentration for GDC Technics is the Honeywell Ka-Band JetWave installations, he said. In anticipation of a growing market, the company has been working on multiple STCs for various aircraft. This work is being accomplished ahead of the customer flow, but Alzeer believes it will position GDC to be ready for the market and will facilitate a smoother, quicker installation process. The first customer aircraft, an A319, is expected to arrive for a JetWave installation in the spring. GDC, however, anticipates having an STC in hand early in 2017.
As GDC fills its business in the U.S., it continues to eye expansion of its global reach. In addition to having affiliates in Germany and the U.K., GDC is considering moving into Africa. Alzeer noted that the company has had business in Morocco and said he sees a need for completions and modifications capability throughout Africa. He estimated that such an operation would take about three years to establish. o
STORY BOX
High Speed Connections
With new satellite networks promising dramatically improved speeds and reliability and lower operating costs, GDC Technic general partner Mohammed Alzeer sees large demand for these next-generation high bandwidth connectivity solutions.
“I think connectivity is something every aircraft owner is seeking right now,” Alzeer said.
Three years ago here in Dubai, GDC signed an agreement to develop installations for Honeywell’s JetWave system, which utilizes Inmarsat’s Ka-band Global Xpress service, for green aircraft and retrofits.
“Today we have solutions for the Airbus 320 family, the Boeing 737 family, the 747, 777, and in the first quarter we’ll develop a solution for the Airbus 330-340 family,” Alzeer said. GDC has Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) from the FAA and EASA for installations of the JetWave antenna, router, and “all the hardware required to enable the airplane to connect with satellites, and to have a wireless signal available within the cabin.”
GDC can install a JetWave system in two to three weeks, Alzeer said, and the work can be performed during a scheduled maintenance event. GDC also has the capability, he noted, to develop connectivity solutions for satellite networks from providers including Iridium, Panasonic and ViaSat.
