GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Leading operators CAE and FSB are opening new centres worldwide on the back of long-term agreements with airlines
CAE and FlightSafety Boeing (FSB) are expanding their commercial flight training networks in new deals with airlines. Canada's CAE is opening a new centre in Denver, Colorado, next May, anchored by a 15-year agreement to provide training for Air Wisconsin. FSB is locating simulators in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, to provide training for Varig and other Latin American airlines.
The six-bay Denver centre represents an initial investment of C$75 million ($50 million) including two CAE-built simulators, for the Airbus A320 and Bombardier CRJ200/700. The latter will be used to train regional jet crews for United Express carrier Air Wisconsin, which has 51 CRJ200s on order.
Denver joins a CAE training network that includes sites in Brazil, Canada, Italy and Spain, plus four centres in Belgium, the Netherlands and the USA that will come with CAE's C$260 million acquisition of Schreiner Flight Training, due to close this month (Flight International, 29 May-4 June).
Under the Varig deal, FSB Boeing 737-700/800 and FlightSafety International (FSI) Embraer ERJ-145 simulators will be placed in the airline's Rio de Janiero training centre and excess capacity jointly marketed to other Latin American carriers. The two FSI-built simulators will be delivered in the first quarter of next year. FSB will also provide Varig with Boeing 777 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 training at its US centres.
FSB will formally open its London Luton airport, UK, training centre on 27 July. This is equipped with three ex-airline simulators - two 737-300s and a 757-200 - and a new FSI-built 737-700/800 machine. The Boeing/FlightSafety joint venture is also building up its Miami, Florida, training hub, installing new FSI-produced 737-700/800 and 757-200 simulators.
GE Capital Aviation Training (GECAT) added a new centre to its network last month when it signed a letter of intent to support American Trans Air's planned Chicago Midway training base, due to open in 2003. GECAT will lease two simulators to ATA, for the 737 Next Generation and 757, and market excess capacity.
The simulators are among six on order from Thales Training & Simulation for delivery this year. The others are two Airbus A320s and two A330/A340s. An Embraer ERJ-170/190 simulator is also on order from CAE for 2002 delivery to the Crossair/GECAT joint-venture Crosscat training centre in Basle, Switzerland. Crossair, meanwhile, will receive a second ERJ-145 simulator from CAE at the Crosscat centre in October 2002.
Source: Flight International
