MRO Middle East: Fokker's “first step” to global footprint

“When I took this job I concentrated initially on the European market because that is our base,” he said. “We wanted to be quite sure that we raised our profile in what is our own area.”

Having achieved that, Fokker was looking for opportunities to expand when the Middle East connection presented itself through the VIP market.

“We started with the Middle East market with some completion work on a green aircraft for a customer from this part of the world,” he said. “At the same time we realised that we can offer far more than just MRO, but everything from components to interiors.”

In addition to the full range of Fokker aircraft, Fokker Aircraft Services offers work on the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families, among others.

“The strategy now is to establish a global footprint for Fokker and our starting point is the Middle East,” he said. “We see us having a role with aircraft such the Boeing BBJ.”

The emphasis from the Fokker team when talking about the firm’s capabilities is not just on the scope and scale of services offered, but on their depth.

“The unique heritage and the knowledge that we have in Fokker means that we can handle any situation, even rebuild an aircraft if that is required,” said Schelling. “That’s how deep we can go. In fact that is what we did with a Fokker 100 which landed with a landing gear problem and was badly damaged. We had it flying again in six weeks.

“That’s how deep we can go.”

Schelling said that the first phase of the company’s Middle East strategy was to build relationships with customers through a presence at shows like MRO Middle East and the Dubai Air Show.

After that, it would consider establishing a permanent base in the region.