Bombardier moves jet service center from Broward to Miami-Dade with over 100 well-paying jobs

Private jet manufacturer Bombardier opened a new service center Monday at Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport — relocating from its Broward County facility and promising to bring hundreds of well-paying jobs to Miami-Dade.

The new 300,000-square-foot maintenance facility will quadruple Bombardier’s footprint in Florida. The business jet manufacturer, based in Montreal, Canada, says the new facility will serve both the U.S. and Latin American markets.

“The decision to come to Opa-locka was driven by a couple things, first, many of our customers have their planes domiciled at this airport,” said Chris Debergh, Bombardier’s VP and general manager of parts and services. “Secondly, was the availability of land, there was more land to develop on here.”

Debergh added that Bombardier will continue offering maintenance services at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with “mobile response units” in a hangar owned by one of its partners.

Currently, the company is hiring for 124 positions that pay between $25-$45 per hour. The company says it expects to fill 300 jobs in the next five to seven years. It’s also hiring aviation maintenance technicians who will be responsible for inspection, repairs and overhauling aircraft. Applicants need to have attended an FAA-approved school and completed training hours to qualify as an aircraft mechanic. Job seekers can find more information about working at the new Bombardier center here.

Bombardier says its fleet consists of about 5,000 aircraft worldwide, with customers in government, multinational corporations, charter companies and private individuals.

The pandemic created a boom in the private aviation sector, as those who could afford it began flying private more frequently to avoid close contact with fellow travelers. South Florida’s longstanding reputation as a winter getaway for affluent snowbirds from the Northeast and the Midwest have made it a hub for private aviation.

“The U.S. led in the global increase in private aviation since the pandemic and much of that has been people coming to vacation areas like Florida,” said Debergh. “Miami is obviously a huge destination for U.S. travelers, but also for Central and South America. It’s the perfect location for us to be expanding at this level.