Airlines are turning to third-party trainers to help them face the combined challenges of a shortage of experienced pilots and increasingly stringent regulatory standards.
Leading the way is FlightSafetyBoeing, a joint venture between FlightSafety International and the Boeing company. In four years the company has developed market leadership of the outsourced sector of the training market.
Company president Gary Scott comes to Paris confident that more airlines will be receptive to outsourcing.
Operates
"The industry is looking for consistency in training. Access to simulators in the region that the airline operates is essential," Scott says. FlightSafetyBoeing now has 70 simulators in the US, Europe and Asia and will be adding a further 15 this year. The demographic timebomb that is threatening airlines as fewer military pilots are available to transfer to the commercial sector is another opportunity for the training firm.
"More airlines are having to recruit their own pilots and they need to be trained. We are working with universities to help develop these systems," Scott says.
FlightSafetyBoeing develops training programmes for aircraft of more than 90 seats from all of the manufacturers. "Although Boeing is one of our parents we provide simulators and training for all Airbus models and other aircraft such as the Fokker 100, the simulator for which we have located in Paris," Scott says. The company trains flight crew, maintenance technicians and provides in-house training for safety issues for cabin staff.
"Many of the large airlines have their own training departments but a lot of the smaller airlines cannot afford this. We are in a position to be able to provide that and ensure that all of their staff are trained to the appropriate standard and meet all of the necessary requirements."
FlightSafetyBoeing has identified Europe as a major growth area for its services and last month opened a new training centre with two Boeing 737 simulators at Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca to provide comprehensive flight and technical training.
Source: Flight Daily News
