Fleet Care Program at Linz (LOWL)
Twelve-month appearance contract for fleets based at Linz—scheduled turns, fixed budget, priority AOG cover.
The Fleet Care Program at Linz (LOWL) is a twelve-month appearance contract for charter operators, corporate flight departments and FBOs with aircraft based in Upper Austria. Rather than booking individual washes or cabin cleans, you receive a service calendar built around your flight schedule: quick turns between legs, monthly interior maintenance, seasonal exterior and brightwork work, and priority crew allocation whenever an AOG situation arises. One invoice, one point of contact, and a service history with photographs for every visit—designed for operators who need recurring detailing without the administrative overhead of separate call-outs.
08/26 · 3000 m
AIP and airport data980 ft
Aerodrome administration and customs Mon-Fri 05:30-23:00 local, Sat-Sun 06:00-23:00 local (AIP Austria LOWL AD 2.3: MON-FRI 0430-2200 UTC winter / 0330-2100 UTC summer, SAT-SUN 0500-2200 / 0400-2100 UTC; identical to the SCA opening-hours table)
Night curfew outside those hours (Schedule Coordination Austria); AIP: Mon-Fri outside operating hours only up to 4 cargo movements on request, of which max 2 after 01:30 local10.5 km
Linz city (AIP: 5.7 NM SW of Linz; de.wikipedia rounds to 12 km SW)1 on the airport
independent, no affiliationGeneral Aviation Center housed in a separate terminal; coordinates passport/customs checks, refuelling, cleaning, VIP service and catering
Why does a fleet program make sense at Linz?
When you base aircraft at a regional field, appearance work often becomes reactive: a belly decon before a charter, a cabin refresh squeezed between legs, a winter dry-wash called in at short notice. Each request carries its own coordination cost—airside escort, ramp slot, invoicing—and you rarely know whether the crew who did good work last time will be available this time.
A twelve-month program reverses that. We build a service calendar with your operations team at the start of the contract year, aligning quick turns and monthly interiors with your typical flight pattern. You receive fixed pricing per tail number, priority crew allocation, and 24/7 AOG cover as part of the package. The administrative burden drops to near zero: one annual contract, one monthly invoice, one contact who already knows your aircraft and your standards. For fleets operating regular charter rotations or corporate shuttles out of Linz, the program pays for itself in saved coordination time within the first quarter.
What changes at Linz that affects a year-round appearance plan?
Linz sits at 980 feet elevation, ten and a half kilometres south-west of the city centre, with a single 3000-metre runway oriented 08/26. The General Aviation Center operates in a separate terminal with its own concrete apron, and aerodrome administration—including customs—runs Monday to Friday 05:30–23:00 local, weekends 06:00–23:00. Outside those hours a night curfew applies; the airport reopens each morning, which means overnight detailing must finish before the 23:00 close or be arranged on request within the published window.
The military airfield south of the runway shares the site, so expect security procedures and occasional traffic restrictions on the airside. Linz is IATA Level 2—schedules facilitated but not fully coordinated—so you will not wait weeks for a slot, yet schedule requests still go to SCA with a copy to the airport. For a fleet program this matters: we can lock in recurring service windows without the slot anxiety of a busier hub, and the GAC coordinates passport checks, refuelling and cleaning through a single point of contact.
Seasonally, Upper Austria swings from humid summers that accelerate belly grime and insect strike to cold winters with de-icing fluid overspray and road-salt drift from the apron. A fixed annual calendar lets us schedule a full exterior and brightwork polish in late spring and again in early autumn, monthly interiors to manage cabin wear from charter cycles, and quick rinseless washes between legs whenever the belly needs attention. You avoid the surprise invoice that comes from calling in an unscheduled decon, and we avoid the last-minute scramble for ramp access and crew.
What does the program include across twelve months?
Every contract begins with a quarterly appearance review: your operations team, our project lead, and a walk-around of each tail number to document current condition and agree the service calendar. From there the program includes scheduled quick turns—dry wash or rinseless depending on temperature and contamination—timed to your flight schedule, monthly cabin maintenance covering galley wipe-down, lav service, vacuum and glass, and two full exterior washes with single-stage polish and brightwork restoration, typically in spring and autumn.
You also receive priority crew allocation, meaning the same technicians work your aircraft each visit and build familiarity with OEM cabin materials, leading-edge tape condition, and any recurring issues in the gear bays or around the APU. Service history and photographs are logged after every visit and shared through a simple online folder; your operations team can pull a complete appearance record for any tail number at audit time or before a pre-purchase inspection. AOG requests—belly decon before an unplanned charter, emergency cabin refresh, bird-strike clean-up—jump the queue and carry no additional call-out fee within the contract year.
The invoice structure is fixed: one monthly payment per tail number, renewable annually. If your flight schedule changes mid-year—a charter contract ends, a tail joins the fleet—we adjust the calendar at the next quarterly review. The goal is to make appearance a managed line item, not a surprise expense.
How do you schedule work around flight operations at Linz?
At the start of the contract we receive a copy of your indicative flight schedule: charter blocks, regular shuttle legs, maintenance windows, and any seasonal peaks. Quick turns are then pre-allocated to low-activity days or post-flight windows when the aircraft will stand on the GAC apron for more than three hours. Monthly interiors are booked around your quietest week each month, and the two annual full exteriors are locked into spring and autumn slots before the summer charter season and after the last winter de-icing period.
Because Linz is not a fully coordinated airport, we do not wait weeks for ramp access; schedule requests go to SCA and the airport with reasonable notice, and the GAC coordinates the airside escort and stand allocation. If your schedule shifts—a charter moves forward, a positioning leg is added—we adjust the calendar at the monthly operations call. The contract includes a 24-hour contact line, so last-minute changes are handled without email chains or missed calls. For AOG situations the crew mobilises within two hours if the aircraft is on the GAC apron and the airport is within operating hours; outside the curfew window we coordinate with the airport on request procedures and meet you at first light.
What happens during the quarterly appearance review?
Every three months we walk each tail number with your chief pilot or flight-department manager, documenting paint condition, brightwork oxidation, cabin wear, and any new issues—leading-edge erosion, nacelle staining, galley scuffs. Photographs are taken in consistent light and filed alongside the service history from the previous quarter. We compare the current state against the baseline set at contract start and against the condition after the last full exterior or interior deep-clean.
The review is also the moment to adjust the service calendar. If charter utilisation has increased and the cabin is showing heavier wear, we might move the next interior forward by a week or add a mid-month galley service. If winter de-icing left more belly staining than expected, we schedule an additional rinseless wash before the spring polish. Any change to the calendar is documented in writing, and the monthly invoice is adjusted only if the scope increases beyond the baseline contract—additional tails, extra services outside the agreed schedule.
The review typically takes thirty minutes per aircraft and can be done on the GAC apron between flights. You receive a written summary within 48 hours, including updated photographs and any recommendations for the next quarter. It is a forcing function to keep appearance managed rather than reactive, and it gives your operations team a documented record that the fleet is being maintained to a consistent standard across the year.
Who benefits most from a fleet program at Linz?
The program is designed for operators with at least one tail based at Linz and a predictable flight pattern: charter companies running regular rotations into Central and Eastern Europe, corporate flight departments supporting Austrian or German business travel, and FBOs managing multiple owner aircraft under a single operations certificate. If you call us three or four times a year for ad-hoc washes, the program will not save you money; if you call us every month—or wish you could but the coordination effort stops you—the return is immediate.
We also see value for operators who need documented appearance history: fleets preparing for IS‑BAO audit, aircraft coming off lease, or corporate departments answering to a board that wants predictable operating costs. The fixed monthly invoice and quarterly photo record make budget forecasting simple and give you a paper trail that shows consistent care. For based aircraft the logistics are easier than at a busy hub: Linz's single handling agent, manageable curfew, and lack of slot congestion mean we can lock in service windows months in advance and actually keep them.
Questions operators ask about Fleet Care Program at Linz
What is the minimum fleet size for the program at Linz?
One based aircraft for twelve months. The program is structured per tail number, so a single-aircraft operator can participate as long as the aircraft is based at Linz and the contract runs for twelve months. Multi-tail fleets receive volume pricing, but the administrative benefit—one invoice, one contact—applies even to a single aircraft.
Can I add or remove aircraft mid-contract?
Yes, at the quarterly review with a thirty-day notice period. Fleet changes are handled at the quarterly appearance review. If you add a tail, we document its baseline condition, build a service calendar, and adjust the monthly invoice from the following month. If you remove a tail—sale, lease return, re-base—we close out its service history and reduce the invoice with thirty days' notice.
What happens if the airport is closed when I need an AOG clean?
We coordinate on-request access with the GAC within the published procedures. Linz closes at 23:00 local every night and reopens at 05:30 weekdays or 06:00 weekends. For AOG requests outside those hours we work with the General Aviation Center to arrange on-request access under the airport's night-movement procedures, or we meet you at first light. Priority AOG cover is included in the contract, so there is no additional call-out fee.
Do you use the same crew for every visit?
Yes, priority crew allocation is part of the program. Each tail number is assigned a primary crew who handle all scheduled services and most AOG requests. They learn your cabin materials, your preferred finish on the brightwork, and any recurring trouble spots. If the primary crew is unavailable—holiday, another AOG—a supervisor briefs the backup crew using your service history and photographs.
How do you handle winter operations and de-icing fluid overspray?
Quick rinseless washes are scheduled after de-icing periods, and the spring exterior includes fluid residue removal. Type I and IV fluid residue, along with road-salt drift from the apron, is managed through additional quick washes in the winter service calendar. The full exterior scheduled for late spring includes a dedicated decon step to remove any remaining glycol film before polishing. We adjust the winter wash frequency at the quarterly review if the season is particularly harsh.
What documentation do I receive for each service visit?
Service report, time-stamped photographs, and updated service history within 24 hours. After every visit you receive a short report listing the work completed, any issues noted—leading-edge damage, cabin stains, brightwork oxidation—and time-stamped photographs of the exterior and cabin. All reports are stored in a shared online folder organised by tail number and date, so your operations team can pull a complete appearance record at any time.
Can I pause the program if the aircraft is in maintenance for a month?
Scheduled services are deferred; the monthly invoice continues but unused services roll forward. If an aircraft enters scheduled maintenance or is otherwise out of service, we defer that month's interior and any planned quick turns. The monthly invoice continues—crew allocation and AOG cover remain active—but the unused services are credited and rolled into the following month or added to the next quarterly plan. This is documented at the quarterly review.
Do you coordinate directly with the General Aviation Center?
Yes, we hold an airside pass and coordinate stand allocation, escort, and service timing with the GAC. Our crew holds current airside passes for Linz and works directly with the General Aviation Center to arrange ramp access, stand allocation, and any coordination with customs or refuelling. You do not need to manage the logistics; we confirm the service window with your ops team and handle the rest with the GAC.
What is the renewal process at the end of twelve months?
Sixty days before expiry we propose a renewed calendar and updated pricing. Two months before the contract anniversary we send a renewal proposal: updated service calendar based on the past year's flight pattern, any recommended scope changes from the quarterly reviews, and refreshed pricing. If your fleet or schedule has changed significantly we schedule a walk-around to reset the baseline; otherwise the program rolls forward with minimal paperwork.
Is there a penalty if I cancel mid-contract?
Ninety-day notice is required; any pre-paid services are credited or completed. The contract requires ninety days' written notice for early termination. If you cancel mid-year, any services already paid for in the monthly invoice are either completed before the termination date or credited back. There is no additional penalty, but we do ask for the notice period so we can reallocate crew and ramp slots.