Hawker Beechcraft (HBC) is installing customer-support leadership and adding $3 million in critical parts in the Asia-Pacific region. Steve Porte, v-p of international support, has relocated to the company’s regional headquarters at Hong Kong International Airport, where he will focus on developing HBC’s support infrastructure in the region. Porte will also supervise the Asia-Pacific field service representatives. The move brings the value of HBC parts in the region to approximately $6 million among facilities in Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore. An HBC spokesperson told AIN the company currently has about 500 aircraft based in the region, approximately 35 percent of the region’s business turbine fleet. “Hawker Beechcraft is focused on meeting the demand in Asia,” said Justin Firestone, HBC president of the Asia-Pacific region. “We are better able to respond to customer demands within the Asia-Pacific time zone and business day with a diverse group of experienced HBC factory staff who are multi-lingual and multi-cultural.”