Montreal-based simulation and training company CAE will double its global footprint for business aviation pilot and maintenance training over the next 12-24 months, bringing training closer to customers in emerging markets in Mexico, Brazil, Europe and Asia.
"One of the things that is increasingly evident in business aviation is that it's increasingly becoming a global business," said Jeff Roberts, group president of CAE's civil simulation products, training and services. "It started first in North America then western Europe. But over the past three to four years, there has been disproportionate growth in the Middle East, Asian and South American markets. What we have long said is that we want to provide easy access and localised training to our customer base."
CAE today has four business aviation training centres with 56 simulators for pilots and maintainers of nearly 80 different business aircraft types, spread between the SimuFlite centre in Dallas, Texas; North East Training Center in Morristown, New Jersey; Training and Services Burgess Hill in the UK, and Emirates-CAE Flight Training joint venture in Dubai.
The doubling of locations started in earnest last year with the opening of a new facility in Amsterdam that went operational in early 2011 with a Level D full-flight simulator programme for the Bombardier Challenger 300 and Challenger 604.
In 2012, CAE will open a training centre in Toluca, near Mexico City, with Level D simulators and training programmes initially for the Bombardier Learjet 45 and Bell 412 helicopter. The facility will be Mexico's first business jet training centre, said CAE.
Further south, CAE in 2012 will also begin offering Level D simulator training for the Embraer Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 in the São Paulo area, home to airframer Embraer. CAE says the facility, the third location for its Embraer-CAE training services (ECTS) joint venture, will be South America's first business jet training centre. ECTS also has locations in Dallas and the UK.
Somewhat mysterious are CAE's plans for a training capability in Asia by 2013. Roberts says the company is "in final negotiations" with a customer for a facility of "at least four bays" initially and probably expandable up to 10 bays, with aircraft types to be "based on market demand".
Not including Asia, CAE's growth and expansion will boost its number of training simulators to at least 65 by 2012, with five new devices set for service entry this year and four announced so far for 2012.
As to where the company is setting its sights for future expansion, Roberts said the customers provide the answer. "It's listening to the customer base and trying to assess whether the market will continue to grow and expand," he said.
Source: Flight Daily News
