National carrier Oman Air has unveiled a state-of-the-art facility which enables pilots and cabin crew to train realistically for operating aboard both Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

Oman Air Flight Training Centre (OAFTC) was officially inaugurated by Darwish Bin Ismail Al Balushi, the Minister of Finance and the chairman of Oman Air, at a key ceremony held in the presence of government ministers, Oman Air’s board of directors, senior airline managers, representatives of civil aviation department and Oman airport authorities.

Based at Oman Air’s headquarters in Muscat, OAFTC offers Oman Air the opportunity to provide its pilots and cabin crew with the highest standards of in-house training, in line with both civil aviation regulations and industry good practice.

At the heart of the facilities provided at OAFTC will be cutting edge flight simulators being supplied by  Canada-based TRU-Simulation and Training Company, one of the world’s best in the field, said a statement from Oman Air.

In addition to being a requirement under international flight safety regulations, flight simulator training is essential to the provision of high quality training programmes for flight deck crew, it stated.

Speaking at the launch, Oman Air’s chief executive Paul Gregorowitsch, said the training centre will enable Oman Air to continue operating to the highest safety standards and with absolute professionalism.
"Furthermore, Oman Air’s investment in this training facility – the first of its kind in Oman - will add an important milestone in the airline’s contribution towards the development of the sultanate," he noted.

Development of OAFTC was announced in November last year and by September, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was able to complete both its compliance monitoring system and simulator audits, he added.

Captain Ali Sulaiman Hassan, the executive VP and chief operations officer, said: "OAFTC offers one Full Flight Simulator for Airbus 330 training, and another one for Boeing 737 training. In addition, a flight training device for Boeing B737 training has been installed as a training tool for cadet training programmes."

According to him, the centre also boasts key facilities needed to train Oman Air’s cabin crew.

"These include A330 and B737 mock-ups, along with a B787 door trainer. Each of these is designed to enable crew to train for, and practice, all the emergency procedures required as part of our cabin crew training and qualification courses," he noted.

"Furthermore, having the flight simulator trainers close to Oman Air’s premises will support Oman Air’s strategy to ensure cost-effectiveness in all areas of its operations by avoiding expensive excessive training expenses overseas," stated Hassan.

"We also have the option of offering our facilities to commercial partners, creating an additional revenue stream for Oman Air," he added.-TradeArabia News Service