No matter where they are in the world, people have come to expect nothing but the best when they hear the name Rolls-Royce. And that expectation is amplified when the name is associated with any business aircraft with the legendary RR marque on its nacelles.
So, when Rolls-Royce Business Aviation brands its support efforts as the “Premium Global Service Network,” you know it will deliver an unparalleled ownership experience.
“What’s unique about Rolls-Royce is that we have a separate business aviation unit, which includes a dedicated service organization,” explains Megha Bhatia, Rolls-Royce Business Aviation’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “The group’s sole purpose is to meet the special needs of our thousands of business aviation clients, which are totally different from the needs of those in commercial aviation.”
For example, because business and private jets travel to thousands more airports than the scheduled carriers, there’s the requirement to provide service in many remote locations.
“We currently have 75 authorized service centers to provide rapid response to our customers’ needs, including on-wing service specialists in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia,” Bhatia says. “Our goal is to have an on-wing service team with the tools and parts on-site within 16 hours of an AOG notification, no matter where the aircraft is positioned.”
Supporting that effort is the company’s 24/7 Business Aviation Availability Center, which ensures that all the various elements are available to achieve the company’s goal of 100 percent averted missed trips.
“This would mean that no aircraft running on Rolls-Royce engines and covered by our CorporateCare or CorporateCare Enhanced programs would be AOG long enough to delay a flight,” Bhatia states. “Currently, we’re averaging over 99 percent, and we won’t be satisfied until we reach 100. The pursuit of perfection continues.”
To SAFinity and Beyond
The folks at Rolls-Royce Business Aviation take their global environmental stewardship seriously. So much so that the company has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Bhatia explains that to meet that goal, Rolls-Royce is focusing on three key initiatives: making its gas turbine engines more efficient, promoting SAF use, and developing alternative propulsion technologies. And while these steps all play significant roles in lessening carbon emissions, increasing the use of SAFs will provide the biggest near-term benefit.
“In partnership with Shell, our SAFinity program is available to every business aircraft operator,” Bhatia says. “It combines independently verifiable sustainability projects with direct investment in the production of SAFs. Operators can make a contribution to offset their flying hours and a share of this will then be invested in increasing the production and distribution of sustainable fuels around the world.”
Bhatia adds that Rolls-Royce Business Aviation’s SAFinity initiative is the first of its kind in private aviation to actively promote SAF production in addition to reducing the environmental footprint for the participating aircraft operator.
All for One and One for All
While improving engine performance and increasing the use of SAFs will undoubtedly help reduce private aviation’s carbon trail, those benefits can be greatly increased if each flight is completed with optimum efficiency.
To that end, Rolls-Royce Business Aviation has introduced a customer portal that provides a one-stop-shop where operators can access all the digital tools they need to interact with the company and increase the efficiency of their flight operations.
“Our customers told us they wanted an easy way to access all the digital tools they need,” Bhatia says. “That’s where the idea of the customer portal started. We have been running beta trials with members of our Corporate Customer Council (C3) to validate the enhanced customer experience.
“As if all that wasn’t exciting enough, the customer portal will be available on a global platform called Yocova [You Collaborate for Value]” Bhatia continues. “By enabling our engine owners and everyone in our industry to share thoughts and ideas, we can make great strides in improving how all business aircraft are used every day.”
