Bombardier marks 40 years of Smart Services programs, with more than 1,500 aircraft enrolled
Why It MattersCost-per-flight-hour coverage has become a standard way for manufacturers to turn unpredictable maintenance bills into a fixed hourly line item, tying owners to the OEM's support network across an aircraft's life.
What happened
Bombardier has marked the 40th anniversary of its Smart Services cost-per-flight-hour programs. More than 1,500 Bombardier aircraft are enrolled, representing more than 11 million total flight hours. The programs provide cost coverage for major systems, including component exchanges, avionics, tires, brakes and corrosion protection, and each customer is assigned a dedicated account manager.
The programs trace back to Bombardier's Smart Parts program, launched in 1986, which Bombardier says made it the first in the aviation industry to offer cost-per-flight-hour coverage on airframe system components. Smart Services Elite adds expanded maintenance cost coverage for major components, including scheduled and unscheduled aircraft systems and landing gear overhauls, as well as cost coverage for parts shipping, technical publications and support, and Mobile Response Team cost coverage.
"For 40 years, Smart Services have helped redefine what customers expect from aircraft support by delivering predictable maintenance costs and a premium ownership experience," said Bill Molloy, Vice-President, Aftermarket Sales, Defense & Parts at Bombardier.
Bombardier cites top rankings in the Aviation International News product support survey for three years in a row and in the Professional Pilot Product Support survey for two years in a row. Its customers operate a fleet of more than 5,200 aircraft, supported by 10 service facilities across six countries.
The company said it will celebrate the anniversary during NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas from October 20 to 22, with an evening event on October 21 for customers and stakeholders.
Industry impact & what to watch
Hourly maintenance programs of this kind work by converting a lumpy, hard-to-forecast cost into a predictable per-hour charge. For an owner or operator, that makes budgeting simpler and changes the resale and financing conversation, since a program-covered aircraft carries a known cost profile. For the manufacturer, enrolment keeps parts, avionics and component work flowing through its own network over many years of ownership.
The scale cited here, 1,500 enrolled aircraft against a customer fleet of more than 5,200, shows how large a share of an installed base an OEM can bring under this model after four decades of building it out. Enrolment at that level also gives Bombardier a long run of flight-hour data across its fleet, which is the raw material for pricing these programs.
The next concrete milestone is the anniversary event during NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas on October 21, where Bombardier will address customers and stakeholders directly.
