AIRBUS INDUSTRIES, offering to furnish airlines with flight simulators, as integral parts of aircraft purchases. The European consortium has already concluded aircraft/simulator package deals with Asiana, Emirates, Philippine Airlines and at least one other carrier.
Ansett Australia, which has yet to decide between Airbus and Boeing, has also been offered a package. Industry sources say that Airbus has so far invited bids from manufacturers to provide up to 12 flight simulators for onward supply as "giveaways" to its customers.
In contrast, say sources, Boeing is urging manufacturers to build and operate next-generation 737 simulators at their own expense, to meet what it perceives as a lack of training capacity on the type, due to enter service in late 1997.
Supplying simulators to customers as an integral part of aircraft deals was pioneered by Aero International (Regional), which has provided several Avro RJ operators with simulators.
Source: Flight International
