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Mirkka Lampinen – Bombardier’s View of Central Europe

30/03/2016 by Aviation Times

Mirkka Lampinen was appointed Sales Director, Eastern Europe at Bombardier Business Aircraft in March 2015. She is responsible for Global, Challenger and Learjet business aircraft sales in Central and Eastern Europe. Mrs. Lampinen joined Bombardier in 2005. She has held several positions with increasing responsibility in the Market Analysis and Regional Marketing teams at Bombardier Business Aircraft in Montreal, Canada, and also at the European Sales and Marketing office in Farnborough, UK. Mrs. Lampinen graduated from Helsinki School of Economics (now Aalto University) with a Master of Science in Business Administration majoring in International Management and Marketing. She is also a graduate from the Community of European Business School’s Master’s in International Management program. Mrs. Lampinen has lived and worked in five countries and is fluent in four languages. She is a keen traveler in her free time.

What is Bombardier’s view of the market in Central Europe?
Over the next 10 years, the business aviation outlook in Central and East European countries (CEE) is positive based on expected economic growth of its key economies, development of trade with emerging markets, and the growing adoption of private aviation as a business tool. As a result, Bombardier forecasts business aircraft deliveries in the region to double over the next 10 years, adding 125 deliveries representing $3B in revenues.

“The market for business aircraft is becoming more mature in Central and Eastern Europe.”

Which aircraft are you finding most popular in the region?
We see demand across our entire product range from the Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 to Global 7000/ Global 8000 business jets; our Challenger family of aircraft continue to be one of our best-selling business jets worldwide — the new Challenger 350 and 650 combine world-class comfort, reliability and low operating costs with a new and innovative cabin design and leading technology, including the Bombardier Vision flight deck. There have been more than 500 Challenger 300 series aircraft and close to 1,000 Challenger 600 series business jet deliveries to date.

What changes do you see in the future?
Bombardier’s largest business aircraft portfolio allows us to stay optimistic about the future – new aircraft development programmes position Bombardier Business Aircraft for long-term market leadership. Our own forecast shows that the demand in CEE will be weighted towards Light and Medium aircraft, however we expect a potential upside in the large aircraft category. The introduction of new products, such as the Challenger 650 and Global 7000/8000 aircraft are expected to fuel more interest in these categories worldwide, as well as in CEE. The Challenger 650 aircraft is moving towards entry into service this year, and we look forward to introducing this new business jet to our customers in the region early next year. Development of the Global 7000 aircraft is also progressing well — all structural components, as well as the engines have been mounted on the first flight test vehicle and ground tests are making good progress.

How much business does the Bombardier portfolio of jets conduct in Central Europe?
We don’t publish sales figures per region, but as the industry leader in unit deliveries for the last 10 years, we receive a healthy level of interest in our extensive range of products in Central and Eastern Europe.

“We see potential for future aircraft sales in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.”

What changes would you like to see when doing business in Central Europe?
The market for business aircraft is becoming more mature in Central and Eastern Europe. But as a leading business aircraft manufacturer, we believe there is still some work to be done in informing concept buyers on the advantages of private aviation – business jets are time-saving business tools that help companies increase productivity and efficiency for more valuable use of time.

What is your opinion on predictions of future growth in the region (Czech Republic and Slovakia)?
We don’t offer predictions for individual countries, but as the largest installed base of business aircraft in the region, we see potential for future aircraft sales in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We see interest from existing owners for aircraft replacement, in addition to interest from new buyers. We regularly showcase our new and existing products in the region to further demonstrate that Bombardier is a leading manufacturer of business jets and to help our customers in their decision-making process.

In your opinion, what is the key factor to Bombardier’s success in Central Europe?
The key to Bombardier’s success is the ability to offer our customers the widest portfolio of high-performance, high-quality products and an extensive network of Bombardier-owned and authorised service facilities in Europe. Our products include: the Learjet 70 and 75 aircraft, which are capable of flying 6-9 passengers in great comfort within Europe; the Challenger 350 and Challenger 650 aircraft, which offer the segment’s most advanced cabin, which maximises natural light and redefines interior comfort and design sophistication; and the Global family of aircraft that delivers the perfect combination of range and performance to efficiently fly passengers from Prague and Bratislava to Los Angeles and Shanghai non-stop in the greatest comfort and luxury.

 How would you describe a typical customer from the region? Are there any unique requirements?
The region does not have a typical customer – every client we meet has very unique requirements for their travel needs in terms of cabin size, range, performance and costs relatedto buying and operating an aircraft. With the largest product portfolio and service network in the industry, Bombardier is well positioned to be able to present solutions to our customers that respond to their specific needs.