The Ansett Flight Simulator Centre in Melbourne, Australia is undergoing a major expansion and will be getting simulators for the current-generation Boeing 737, Fokker 100, Beechcraft King Air and Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia, as well as a second Airbus A320 simulator.
Ansett Flight Simulator Centre managing director David Gilmour confirms the company has bought the Fokker 100 simulator from Alteon Training in Singapore.
The simulator still has to be shipped to Melbourne and Gilmour says “it will probably be available late July or early August” for airline customers at the Melbourne centre.
It will be housed in an extension to centre’s existing building, says Gilmour, adding the new building will also house four simulators that the centre is adding.
He says the Ansett Flight Simulator Centre is adding a 737-700/800/900, Beechcraft King Air, Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia simulator and a second A320 simulator.
The 737 simulator is “being hosted for Virgin Blue”, says Gilmour, who claims having these additional simulators will make it the largest simulator centre in the southern hemisphere.
It already has a Bombardier Dash 8-100/200/300, Fairchild Metro/Merlin, 737-300/400, Boeing 767, BAe 146 and Saab 340A/B simulator.
Alteon Training Singapore director of sales and marketing Chris Bunning says one reason the Fokker 100 simulator is being sold is to make room because later this year it will be adding a Boeing 787 simulator.
He says the Fokker 100 simulator will be leaving in May and the last day it will be available for use in Singapore is 5 May.
Ansett’s acquisition of the Fokker 100 simulator is significant because it is the only simulator for the aircraft type in the Asia-Pacific region.
Fokker 100 operators in the region include Air Niugini (Papua New Guinea), Air Bagan (Myanmar), Aero Mongolia, Alliance Air (Australia), Cosmic Air (Nepal), Mandarin Airlines (Taiwan), Merpati Nusantara (Indonesia), Skywest Airlines (Australia) and Transwisata Prima Aviation (Indonesia).
Two new airlines in South Korea – Kostar Airlines and Yeongnam Air - and Network Aviation Australia also plan to operate Fokker 100s.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
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Source: FlightGlobal.com
