Just three years after acquiring its Orlando Sanford International Airport facility in the USA, aircraft MRO company, Constant Aviation, has added nearly 35,000 square feet of hangar space and invested more than US$2 million in physical improvements. The company has extended its hangar leases for an additional eight years so it can serve customers in Florida and along East Coast USA through to the end of the decade without uninterruption.
“We took over this facility in 2017, and it enabled our business to simultaneously add capacity and increase our capabilities,” said Constant Aviation’s COO, Kevin Dillon. “Constant Aviation also operates aircraft maintenance facilities in Cleveland, Ohio, and a nationwide network of mobile technicians, and we have really benefitted from the traffic here at Orlando Sanford. At any given time, we have close to 20 in-work aircraft packed in our hangars and on the ramp. That’s because Florida is one of the busiest states for private travel for both business and pleasure, and our Orlando Sanford location is perfectly situated in the middle of it all.”
Among the improvements made since Constant Aviation leased the facility, in 2018 the aircraft interior modification centre was moved to its own dedicated space, having previously been housed in a general maintenance hangar. This expansion and reorganisation freed-up existing hangar space to carry out more maintenance work, and it also generated efficiencies throughout the facility.
The Orlando site consists of five hangars encompassing nearly 110,000 square feet of enclosed hangar floor space. At the interior centre, cabinet makers and upholsterers specialise in complete cabin reconfigurations and refurbishments.
The paint facility can accommodate aircraft as large as a Gulfstream V, Falcon 7X or Global. Technicians can match custom colours for touchups on existing paint, or completely strip and repaint using paint schemes created by the company’s in-house designers. Other capabilities at Orlando Sanford include scheduled inspections, avionics upgrades and general maintenance on aircraft from a variety of manufacturers.
“Originally, the Orlando Sanford location specialised in Bombardier, Falcon and Hawker/Beech product lines,” said Dillon. “In addition to increasing our hangar space over the last three years, we’ve invested in the necessary training and tooling to expand our capabilities to include aircraft from Embraer, Gulfstream and Textron. The diversification of aircraft has opened up many opportunities for us in Florida and the Southeast, and it has introduced Constant Aviation to a broader group of owners and operators.”
In order to maintain its capabilities, Constant Aviation has extended the leases at its paint and interior modification centres through 2028. The lease for its primary maintenance facility extends through 2030.
“Our original strategy with the Orlando Sanford location has been successful,” said Dillon. “First, we invested in the hangars and expanded the facilities to handle more aircraft. Second, we brought in the right technicians and leadership to increase our airframe capabilities. Now, we’re securing our future by putting down roots and extending the leases. This will ensure we’ll be able to continue to grow and meet our customers’ needs long into the future.”
