SAVANNAH, Ga., June 3, 2010 — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced today that its industry-leading product support organization will devote special resources to assist customers at the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The month-long competition, the world’s largest sporting event, will take place June 11 to July 11.
The Gulfstream Product Support team headed to South Africa will include four technicians in Johannesburg, four in Cape Town and a field service representative (FSR) in Johannesburg. Ground transportation will take Gulfstream personnel to game sites within an hour of Johannesburg and Cape Town. If necessary, Gulfstream will fly support personnel to the other venues more than an hour away.
“This will be the biggest presence we’ve had at a world event such as this,†said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream Product Support. “We expect heavy traffic from Gulfstream operators across the world, so we want to ensure them that the pieces are in place to provide comprehensive support for their aircraft. With the venues being spread out, we anticipate the need for services and support will be greater than at a centralized location.â€
Gulfstream Product Support personnel in South Africa will have access to a vast amount of parts and materials stored at ExecuJet South Africa in Johannesburg, a Gulfstream authorized warranty line-service facility. Additional inventory is available at the Gulfstream European distribution center in Madrid.
“Madrid is stocked with unusual items customers may need,†Burns said. “To deliver parts to South Africa, there will be two flights daily from Madrid to Johannesburg on Iberia Airlines, a partner of ours. Available in Johannesburg are the top 100 demand items and the top 20 removable items, such as landing gear, tires and windshields. These items were in place by the middle of May and will be there until the end of July.â€
The tournament, which is expected to draw more than 400,000 spectators, will be played at 10 venues in nine cities across South Africa — Johannesburg (two locations), Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Polokwane, Nelspruit and Rustenburg.
Gulfstream operators who need assistance with aircraft-on-ground or non-AOG situations should call the company’s customer contact center at (800) 810-4853 Gulfstream has provided on-site service and support for several large events, including the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009, the World Economic Forum in 2010 and 2009, and the 2010 and 2009 Super Bowls.
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