InFocus | Dubai Airshow
CAE notches up staggering $13m of deals in two days
Canadian manufacturer of full-flight simulators and training provider, CAE has notched up more than $13 million in deals in two days at the Dubai Airshow.
- By Kokila Jacob, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 November 23, 2005
Canadian manufacturer of full-flight simulators and training provider, CAE has notched up more than $13 million in deals in two days at the Dubai Airshow.
More contracts are expected to be confirmed before the end of the Airshow, said Marie-Helene Labrie, director, marketing and strategic planning, CAE.
The deals also include two new customers Indian budget carriers Spice Jet and Kingfisher Airlines, as well as extension of training programmes for existing clients in the region.
The pilots of the two Indian carriers will be provided simulated flight training at the joint venture Emirates-CAE Flight Training (ECFT) centre in Dubai, said Labrie.
Oman Air, an existing client of ECFT, signed a contract yesterday to extend its ongoing pilot training programme to the new Boeing 737 NG aircraft at the Dubai facilities. A potential third Indian client is in the offing. India's Air Deccan has also announced it has selected CAE as its pilot training equipment and services provider.
The agreement will include two full-flight simulators, a flight training device, simulator maintenance and engineering services as well as the support of Air Deccan's development of its pilot Type-Rating Training Organisation.
The value of Air Deccan's contract will not be available until the deal is signed, said labrie.
The two simulators cost approximately $12 million each.
Air Deccan is constructing a new six-bay training centre in Bangalore, India, scheduled to open in early 2007.Middle East and India are CAE's strongest customers, said Labrie.
"If you look at the installed base of flight simulators in the Gulf region 50 per cent of them are manufactured by CAE. And in the past five years we have secured 100 per cent of the market share here. In India we have 65 per cent of the market," she said. Emirates Airline was one of its earliest customers in the region when it bought its first full fledged flight simulator in 1993. Since then it has bought 18 of them, said Labrie.
This includes six bought as part of Emirates' contribution to the joint venture ECFT facility, opened in 2003 following an agreement signed in 2001.
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