Airbus Industrie is to assist Asia-Pacific Training & Simulation (APTS) to establish a new A320 simulator training capability in Singapore, in an effort to improve support for the growing number of regional operators of the aircraft.
Singapore-based APTS has ordered a single A320 full-flight simulator from Reflectone, equipped with Evans & Sutherland, visual for delivery at the end of 1998. The joint venture, which is 63% owned by British Aerospace and 37% by Singapore Technologies, is considering adding a second A320 simulator in 2000.
Airbus is providing APTS with material and data support in return for pre-agreed access to the simulator. The European consortium will refer spill-over regional pilot training work to APTS to relieve demand on capacity at its own Toulouse centre and on the recently commissioned A320 simulator in Beijing, in China.
The company's new China customer support centre has already acknowledged that it will not be able to support fully the needs of both local and non-Chinese Asian carriers. It will instead be giving priority to mainland operators and concentrating on recurrent rather than transitional pilot training.
SilkAir is to be the launch customer on the new Singapore simulator, following its order earlier in the year for 12 A319/A320s. Other potential users include Malaysia's Saeaga Airlines, which is to lease two A320s from Singapore Aircraft Leasing, and Vietnam Airlines, with ten aircraft on lease from Region Air of Singapore.
According to Airbus delivery schedules, there will be close to 70 A320 series aircraft in regional service by the end of 1998 with Airlanka, Air Macau, Asiana Airlines, Dragonair, Philippine Airlines, Saeaga Airlines, SilkAir, TransAsia Airways and Vietnam Airlines. This is expected to generate demand for over 8,000h of simulator time in 1998, rising to more than 9,600h by the following year.
APTS' A320 acquisition is the company's first step into the commercial aircraft training market.
Source: Flight International
