CAE Awarded Four Contracts For Full-Flight Simulators And Training Devices
Montreal’s CAE announced today that it has sold four Level D full-flight simulators (FFS), including an ATR 42/72-600 FFS to European aircraft manufacturer ATR; a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 FFS to Ethiopian Airlines, the flag carrier of Ethiopia, as well as two FFSs, an Airbus A320 and a Boeing 737, to Shanghai Eastern Flight Training Centre, the training subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines. CAE has also received contracts for training devices and for simulator update services from several airlines. The contracts are worth a total of more than C$50 million at list prices, and bring the total number of FFS sales that CAE has announced to date during fiscal year 2012 to 25.
“These contracts are from customers based in three continents and reflect the range of solutions CAE can offer to aircraft manufacturers developing new aircraft, new airline customers expanding their fleets in emerging markets, and flight training organizations increasing capacity to address customer growth requirements,” said Jeff Roberts, CAE’s Group President, Civil Simulation Products, Training and Services. “CAE’s comprehensive simulation expertise and flexible solutions can be tailored to any civil aviation business model to enhance safety and operational efficiency.”
ATR – This is the second CAE FFS for ATR’s new -600 program. The world’s first FFS to replicate the ATR42-600 and ATR72-600 cockpits is currently being deployed at ATR’s training centre headquarters in Toulouse, France. The second FFS will be ready for training by the end of 2012 at a location to be announced. The contract also includes a second CAE Simfinity™ maintenance/flight simulation training device (MFSTD) and a CAE brief/debrief station.
Ethiopian Airlines – The Q400 FFS is CAE’s first simulator sale to Ethiopian. The CAE 5000 Series FFS will incorporate a CAE Tropos-6000 visual system and will be qualified to Level D standards. The FFS will be delivered by the end of 2012 to the Ethiopian Aviation Academy in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
Shanghai Eastern Flight Training Centre – The A320 and Boeing 737 FFSs for Shanghai Eastern Flight Training Centre (SEFTC) are CAE 7000 Series Level D simulators with CAE Tropos-6000 visual systems. The FFSs will be delivered to SEFTC at its facilities at Shanghai Pudong Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone in China in the first half of 2013.
In addition, Emirates-CAE Flight Training (ECFT), the joint venture between Emirates Group and CAE, announced late yesterday that flydubai will be the anchor customer for the new ECFT airline training centre which is set to open in the third quarter of 2012 in Dubai’s world-class commercial park, “Dubai Silicon Oasis.” flydubai signed a multi-year exclusive training services agreement with ECFT for Boeing 737NG training.
“Today’s increasingly competitive market requires airlines to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness from every area of operations, including training. At the same time, safety is paramount to passenger confidence and growth,” stated Ken Gile, flydubai Chief Operating Officer. “flydubai has trained with ECFT since our inception, and we are very well satisfied with the exemplary service we receive and the quality of the training programs.”
“We look forward to continuing the key training role ECFT has played in flydubai’s very successful startup and rapid growth,” said Jeff Roberts, CAE’s Group President for Civil Simulation Products, Training and Services. “Our first training centre in Dubai has played an integral role in the UAE’s aviation industry, and we are excited about launching the new training facility in the coming year to serve flydubai and other airlines in the region.”
Emirates-CAE Flight Training will provide comprehensive initial type-rating and recurrent training solutions for flydubai line pilots and cadets, including “wet” training with ECFT instructors and “dry” training in which flydubai instructors use ECFT simulators and other training tools. flydubai has announced plans to recruit more than 400 pilots over the next four years to meet the needs of its growing fleet and serve its rapidly expanding route network. The airline has 20 Boeing 737-800s and a total order of more than 50 aircraft. The airline started operations in June 2009 and recently added its 45th destination.
The new ECFT facility in Dubai Silicon Oasis will focus on airline pilot and aviation maintenance technician training for the types of aircraft popular among air carriers in the region. The facility will initially house four full-flight simulator (FFS) bays with plans to expand to as many as 10 bays. The first FFSs installed are expected to replicate the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families of aircraft.
The existing Emirates-CAE Flight Training centre features FFSs for Airbus, Bell Helicopter, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault, Gulfstream and Hawker Beechcraft aircraft. It was the first facility of its kind in the Middle East to be approved to Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and U.A.E. General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) standards.