Dassault Aviation has appointed Jean Kayanakis the new general manager of Dassault Falcon Service (DFS), its largest company-owned aircraft service operation.

Kayanakis, previously the vice president of its Falcon Worldwide Spares unit, has over 20 years of experience at Dassault, serving in a variety of leadership roles, said a company statement.

DFS is the largest European-based aircraft service company offering tailored and comprehensive maintenance services to Falcon operators as well as individuals and companies needing charter and/or aircraft management.

Based in Le Bourget, it also operates four satellites (London, Nice, Moscow and Rome) and mobile rapid response GoTeams that cover all parts of the hemisphere, 24/7.

"The unique expertise of DFS in offering a full range of services for Falcon customers throughout and beyond Europe has been a key part of our overall success in the market said John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon.

"Jean has served in a variety of positions within Dassault and has demonstrated extraordinary management skills" added Rosanvallon, "but the deciding factor in his selection was his excellent reputation among customers and his can-do attitude," he remarked.

Under Kayanakis' leadership, the Dassault Falcon spares activity achieved many significant milestones in terms of availability, speed of delivery and value, said Rosanvallon. Kayanakis takes over from Yves Gueyffier.

He is largely credited with driving the expansion of the Falcon spare parts network by adding inventories in over a dozen new locations around the world which help to provide rapid resolution of AOG situations, he added.

Kayanakis 47, graduated from the prestigious Ensica aerospace engineering school in France. He started his career at the Dassault design office more than 20 years ago working on the Rafale fighter prototype, the company statement said.-TradeArabia News Service