Portugal-headquartered emergency aerial services operator Avincis has begun exploring locations for a new training centre to support ambitious growth plans.
Avincis says it has identified a need to “in-source its training to support its global growth ambitions, uphold its commitment to safety, and drive standardisation of operations”.
The centre will also be available to third parties, it adds.
A first step will be to identify a suitable location that is “both accessible and in the right environment for a wide range of training disciplines”.
Avincis says the facility will support live and synthetic training for pilots, technical and medical crews, and rescue teams.
It will house “multiple Level D full flight simulators” alongside virtual reality winching devices and other training systems.
Other specialisms to feature at the “centre of excellence” include: helicopter underwater escape training; sea and mountain/cold weather survival training; medical personnel training for air ambulance, helicopter emergency services and search and rescue operations; night-vision goggle training; and windfarm and cable car hoist rescues.
Mountain flying operations training is also proposed for the site.
Avincis has already disclosed plans to create a mountain flying training centre in Italy. It describes this facility as the “first phase of the centre of excellence”, adding: “The analysis as to whether we co-locate them is ongoing.”
John Boag, Avincis Group chief executive, says: “Our people face challenging and complex situations every single day – it is our job to make sure they are properly trained to the highest safety standards, so they are always able to perform at their best.
“This facility will support us, to support them, as they focus on saving lives and protecting communities every time they are deployed on a mission.”
The centre will also offer training to a new generation of aircraft engineers and technicians for the Avincis global fleet.
