With 30 years' experience as a flight engineer and a decade providing cabin service aboard business aircraft, Devinder Kalsi has built his career on valuable insight, technical expertise and premium customer service. Now, as accountable manager for aircraft-on-ground (AOG) specialist KAL Aviation Services based at Farnborough Airport, he applies that knowledge to another side of the aviation industry.

“We have about 14 specialist engineers, supported by six ancillary staff, who are ready for dispatch worldwide to remedy AOG problems. Wherever and whenever the customer wants us to go, we are ready to go,” says Kalsi, who has 40 years of aviation industry experience.

A key differentiator for the family-owned maintenance business is its agility in dealing with requests. “The key benefit of working with KAL Aviation Services is that, unlike some firms, we keep our business structure very simple with as few layers as possible,” says Kalsi. “That means if a client wants a service provided the next day, we normally react within the hour of receiving the request to confirm whether or not we can help. And, usually we can.”

The company’s airframe and powerplant engineers specialise in all types of business jets including Bombardier, Dassault Falcon and Gulfstream. The business also has an inside track with two manufacturers via its contributions to Bombardier’s customer advisory committee and Gulfstream’s customer advisory board.

Since its launch 11 years ago, the business has developed a wide range of clients from a large European fleet operator to smaller businesses elsewhere. The company’s booking list includes scheduled maintenance at its Farnborough base to sending engineers across the world to recover AOG aircraft.

Fully certified, KAL Aviation Services is a Part-145 organisation holding approvals from the UK CAA, EASA, FAA and all the other major authorities including: Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, San Marino and more. All told, the business looks after more than 100 business jets.

Clients choose KAL Aviation Services because the business is very reactive, provides a very good service at very competitive rates, says Kalsi.

But after so many decades in business aviation, what keeps him motivated? “I still have a lot of passion for business aviation,” he explains. “There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing an aircraft that is AOG and, after doing your best to get it back into the air as soon as possible, then watching a happy customer go home.”