Emirates-CAE Flight Training continues solid pace of growth in the Gulf
December 08 2003 - 8:55AM
PR Newswire (US)
Emirates-CAE Flight Training continues solid pace of growth in the
Gulf - Continued market growth: C$16 million in new business,
addition of simulators - Expansion into civil helicopter training
with first Bell 412 simulator in the Gulf MONTREAL, Dec. 8
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- (NYSE: CGT; TSX: CAE) - Amid the backdrop
of the Dubai air show, Dubai's Crown Prince HH General Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum officially inaugurated Emirates-CAE
Flight Training's (EFCT) new 14-bay state-of-the-art training
centre. In addition, C$16 million in new business was announced as
were commitments to install a second Boeing 737NG/BBJ simulator and
a Bell 412 helicopter full-flight simulator, the first of its kind
in the Gulf region. It will have a CAE Sim XXI(TM) platform, which
is CAE's latest simulation technology. The new centre is the result
of a 10-year C$130 million teaming agreement between CAE and the
Emirates Group. The three-storey 80,000-square-foot facility boasts
many firsts in the Middle East: the first and only independent
centre in the region catering to both commercial and business
aircraft operators; the first to be qualified to both Europe's
Joint Aviation Authorities and the U.S.'s Federal Aviation
Administration regulatory standards; and the first outside North
America to offer pilot and maintenance training for the Hawker
800/800XP, Gulfstream IV and V aircraft. A number of Gulf and
Middle Eastern operators have signed commitments to train on the
Bell 412 simulator, which is expected to be installed in 2005. The
device, which will be fitted with a CAE Tropos(TM) visual system,
can also accommodate Bell 212 training. Bell 212 and 412
helicopters are popular among commercial oil and gas support
operators, emergency services and law enforcement organizations.
CAE is already recognized as a leader in military helicopter
training systems. "When we signed this alliance with Emirates, it
signified a strategic move for CAE to expand its training network
worldwide," said Derek H. Burney, president and chief executive
officer. "And today's ceremony speaks volumes about the success of
this venture: we are providing greater value to the region's
aircraft operators by offering the highest-quality, fully certified
training closer to their home base." About C$16 million in new
training agreements were signed with Air Arabia, National Air
Services and Royal Brunei. They join Arabasco, Emirates, Jet
Aviation, Kuwait Airways, Middle East Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar
Airways, Royal Jet and others already training at the centre.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman of Emirates, commented:
"Emirates is pleased to be part of this jointly operated centre
which has been at the forefront of the development of aviation
training in the Gulf. This facility heralds a new era in aviation
in the Middle East as the first flight training centre with dually
approved type-rating." The second Boeing 737NG/BBJ will be
installed in spring 2004. When it's in place, Emirates-CAE Flight
Training will offer training on two Boeing 737NGs/BBJs, a
convertible Hawker 800/800XP, a Gulfstream IV, a Gulfstream V, an
Airbus A330/A340 and an Airbus A319/A320/A321/ACJ. Before it began
operations in September, customers of Emirates-CAE Flight Training
had been training at a facility in the Dubai Airport Free Zone.
Emirates, the world's fastest-growing intercontinental full service
airline, flies to 71 destinations in 50 countries, and operates a
fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, with an average age of just
three years. CAE is a leading provider of integrated training
solutions and advanced simulation and controls technologies to
civil aviation, military and marine customers. The company
generates annual revenues in excess of C$1 billion and employs
about 6,000 people in Canada, the United States and around the
globe. A high-resolution downloadable photo of the ceremony is
available in our Photo Gallery in the Newsroom section of our Web
site: http://www.cae.com/en/photos.shtml DATASOURCE: CAE INC.
CONTACT: Media contacts: Johanne Denault, Manager, Public
Relations, (514) 341-6780 ext. 4889, ; Arthur C. Perron,
Vice-President, Government and Media Relations, (514) 341-6780 ext.
5370, ; Investor relations: Andrew Arnovitz, Director, Corporate
Communications and Investor Relations, (514) 734-5760,
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