Ian Sheppard has acted as Editor International Show Editions for AIN since June 2013. Based in the Redhill, England, Ian reports for the various AIN publications as well as providing support to International Editor Charles Alcock in covering international air shows (such as Farnborough, Paris, Singapore and Dubai), and the EBACE and MEBA business aviation events. His central role is to cover Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Prior to becoming more involved with AIN in mid-2011 (initially as deputy international editor), Ian worked for various aviation publications through his company, First Aerospace Media. This included being part of the AIN team covering daily news at international air shows.
Ian has worked for publications such as Flight International (technical reporter, 1997-8) and Aerospace International (editor, 1999-2000). He was publications manager at Airclaims (Ascend) between 2000 and 2004 before forming First Aerospace Media. Since mid-2009 Ian has also been managing editor of Regional International, the journal of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA).
Ian hasis working towards a European commercial pilot licence, having held an FAA private pilot license in 1991, and instructor rating. He also has a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Bath, England, and a graduate diploma in law from Kingston University, and is a graduate of the legal practice course (College of Law, Guildford).

Editor

Ian Sheppard

Rolls-Royce (Stand 1028) says that the opening of its new Customer Service Centre (CSC) at the iconic Aldar Building in Abu Dhabi is imminent. At the latest it will be fully operational by the end of 2017, said the company,﻿ and it will eventually employ 60 staff. The center will serve customers in the region, and these include Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines.

 


John Kelly, v-p customers Middle East and Africa, said that with growth continuing, "particularly in the widebody market," it makes sense to be closer to operators that are flying with Rolls-Royce engines.

 


The company has "a long heritage in the Middle East," said Kelly. Some 469 airliners in the region are Rolls-Royce powered, and these aircraft are in service with 36 operators, he added.﻿

 


"We want to ensure the speedy resolution of any problems [and] we also need to make sure decision making and empowerment is in place at the front line. We need an agile and responsive infrastructure that's not anchored in one time zone."

 


Rolls-Royce now has a global network of CSCs, having opened the first one in Singapore in February 2015. "The Middle East CSC will complete the set," said Kelly. "Our new service model was first demonstrated in Singapore for the Asia-Pacific [region]. We found that 80 percent of things can be handled from there, and [average] response time was reduced by 75 percent."

 


One of the advantages of the Abu Dhabi location is that it is a close road trip to the Bibras Technology Park in Al Ain, where Rolls-Royce has an MRO facility in partnership with Mubadala.

 


The activities carried out in the new regional CSC are being transferred out of Derby﻿, where Rolls-Royce's commercial aero engines business has its headquarters. The CSC will be "connected to the Aircraft Availability Centre based at Derby," noted Kelly.

 


Earlier this year Rolls-Royce brought its range of service offerings together under a single banner, CareStore. Its range of CareServices includes TotalCare, SelectCare and LessorCare but CareStore provides a wider range of digital services so it covers not only maintenance, but also, according to the company, "availability, efficiency, asset management, transitions and customer support...it is designed to suit [customer] needs at every stage of the engine lifecycle."

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News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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