Dubai-based Emirates and CAE, a global leader in simulation and training for aviation, have opened a state-of-the art pilot training facility at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), a world-class commercial park.

The facility was inaugurated by the unveiling of a plaque by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive, Emirates Airline and Group.

The DSO centre is the second training centre owned and operated by Emirates-CAE Flight Training (ECFT). Completed last month in record time after a whole year in the planning construction phases, the ultra-modern centre brings Emirates and CAE’s joint investment in the region to over $260 million, a statement said.

The new DSO facility will initially house five full-flight simulator (FFS) training bays with three already installed, substantially increasing the region’s vital pilot and technician training capacity and providing much-needed support for its established and increasing group of airline customers.

ECFT’s new 55,000 sq ft facility already boasts industry-leading Airbus and Boeing flight training simulators with breakthrough visual realism, cockpit replication and high-fidelity avionics simulation with flight and ground-handling characteristics indistinguishable from an operational aircraft.

The centre also features ten briefing/de-briefing rooms, three large classrooms and a high-tech computer-based training room offering clients everything they need to prepare pilots and technicians for a safe career in the skies.

Founded in 2002, ECFT’s early business was conducted from a satellite centre in modest premises in the Dubai Airport Freezone, with just two full-flight training simulators.

The centre is now host to some 13 training bays and is one of the largest pilot training facilities in the world. – TradeArabia News Service