Low-fare carrier Wizz Air and CAE have expanded their training relationship through the provision of two new Airbus A320 full-flight simulators (FFS) and an agreement for an exclusive 10-year training centre operations services deal supporting the airline’s European growth.
The pair of CAE 7000XR Series FFS equipped with the CAE Tropos™ 6000XR visual system will be delivered to the airline’s new training centre, which is due to open in Budapest, Hungary in the second half of this year. CAE will also operate and maintain the airline’s training equipment at the facility.
Wizz operates a fleet of 95 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, flying more than 600 routes from 28 bases across 44 countries. It’s new training centre, close to Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport, will increase its training capacity to up to 100 crew members daily, increasing to 250 in the future.
“CAE has been our partner of choice for the past 10 years, delivering an excellent training experience to our pilots,” said Diederik Pen, executive vice-president and chief operations officer at Wizz. “As we are continuously expanding our Wizz network and our operations, we will soon open a brand-new training facility, for which we are counting on CAE once again, this time for its state-of-the-art training equipment and comprehensive training solutions.”
Nick Leontidis, CAE’s group president, civil aviation training solutions, commented: “CAE is proud to support Wizz Air for the next decade. The expansion of this training agreement is a testament to our enduring commitment to provide our customers with the most comprehensive training solutions.”
This deal is the first time the carrier has ordered training equipment and services from CAE.
CAE also signed a deal this week with Virgin Atlantic Airways for a 10-year Airbus A330 and A350 pilot training agreement. Virgin Atlantic’s pilots will receive A330 and A350 training at CAE’s training centre at London Gatwick, which is equipped with new CAE 7000XR full-flight simulators, starting in the first half of 2019. The contract also includes the deployment of one A350 flight training device (FTD), to be delivered to the airline’s training centre at its headquarters in Crawley near Gatwick. The CAE 500XR Series FTD will be ready for training by the end of this year.
Leontidis commented: “With about 50,000 new airline pilots needed in the region over the next 10 years, CAE remains committed to providing innovative training solutions to its customers to meet this increasing demand.”
