CAE is to provide Airbus A319 training for European low-fare carrier EasyJet under a seven-year agreement expected to be worth around C$40-60 million ($29-44 million). The deal includes the establishment of CAE's first commercial aviation training centre in the UK.
The Canadian company will produce two A320-family full-flight simulators and two maintenance/ flight training devices for installation in its Burgess Hill plant in the UK. Mainly working on marine and military training programmes, the existing facility has room for four simulator bays, says CAE.
The first simulator will be ready for training in October, with the second to be in service by the end of the year. Airbus and CAE will deliver the training under their existing co-operation agreement. EasyJet will take delivery of three-to-four A319s a month over the next three years, and has to train 200 crews a year from 2005 to 2007, says Airbus.
CAE has previously supplied a Boeing 737-800 simulator to rival European low-cost carrier Ryanair. The simulator, installed in Ryanair's own training centre at the UK's Nottingham East Midlands airport, received Level D approval in March.
In response to CAE's partnership with Airbus, Boeing subsidiary Alteon Training has teamed with United Airlines to offer Airbus training for third-party customers at the US carrier's Denver, Colorado simulator centre.
Source: Flight International
