(Orlando, Florida, October 5, 2008) – Dassault Falcon recently completed a 116,000 square foot expansion to its Little Rock Completion Center with the ribbon cutting of a new four bay paint hangar. The $ 20,000,000 expansion grew the facility to a total of 897,000 square feet and also included a new production and design area, more warehouse space and a new flight line.

“Demand for Falcons has been unprecedented over the past several years and that has led our company to continuously expand our production capacity around the world,” said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon. “This expansion effort is especially evident at our Little Rock Completion Center which has always been known for quality workmanship and a dedicated workforce with an exacting eye for detail.”

The state-of-the-art 66,500 square foot paint hangar is a four bay EPA Title V approved facility specializing in the application of “high-solids” aircraft exterior paint and design. The paint hangar includes a state-of-the-art air filtration system with air being circulated several times in the course of a few minutes. The downdraft airflow system offers a constant flow of clean air to remove the over-spray during painting operations. This system offers a virtually pollution-free environment for the paint personnel to apply the topcoat and primers. This is the third such paint hangar Dassault has opened in Little Rock and Wilmington, Delaware in the past four years.

Dassault Falcon´s Long Little Rock History

In 1975, Dassault purchased Little Rock Airmotive, a 61,500 hangar and office facility with plans to integrate it into its global expansion plans. Originally, the facility was intended to "complete" Falcons for the Western Hemisphere and the Pacific Rim. The airplanes would be built in Bordeaux-Mérignac, France and flown to Little Rock in a "green" condition where they would be outfitted with full interiors, options and an exterior customized to meet each customer´s needs.

FedEx founder, Fred Smith, originally used Little Rock Airmotive as a completion center for his fleet of Falcon 20 transports that he used to launch his overnight delivery service in the early seventies. By the time Dassault Falcon purchased the facility in 1975, there was a group of workers familiar with the Falcon product already in place. Making Little Rock even more attractive was a base of highly skilled artisans in cabinetry, carpentry, leather goods, upholstery and a range of other technical activities.
Since then, the facility has continuously expanded and is now the primary completion center for all Falcon aircraft and the largest Dassault facility worldwide. In the past thirty years, over 1000 Falcons have been completed in Little Rock. Additionally, it is the largest manufacturing employer in the region with roughly 2,500 employees. In 2007, Dassault made 55 customer deliveries from Little Rock.