Cessna says the purchase of two major maintenance facilities in Zurich and Dusseldorf is part of its plan to boost its global reach. The company announced last week it’s buying Jet Aviation’s maintenance repair and overhaul facilities in the European cities. About 200 employees will be absorbed by Cessna in the takeover. “Germany and Switzerland are strategically located where a majority of Citations in the region are based and we are enthusiastic about bringing more service options to our customers in Europe,” said Scott Ernest, president and CEO at Cessna. He said Jet Aviation has been the main Cessna service center in both cities for decades and the acquisition made sense. Jet Aviation will continue to operate the FBOs at both locations.
The purchase brings to 15 the number of factory-owned service centers operated by Cessna throughout the world. In addition to beefing up its maintenance presence in the region, Cessna said it was going to hire more sales people in Europe and some of them will move into the Zurich and Dusseldorf facilities.
