Manama, Bahrain: January 21, 2016 – Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low cost carrier announced today during the Bahrain International Airshow the signing of a new deal with TRU Simulation + Training, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, to produce an A320 FFS X™ Level D full motion flight simulator.
TRU Simulation + Training will manufacture the A320 FFS X in its Montreal, Canada facility. Upon completion, the new A320 FFS X will undergo qualification by EASA CS-FSTD(A) for Level D use. The full flight simulator is slated for installation at Air Arabia’s facility at the Sharjah Airport International in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates by the second quarter of this year.
“Air Arabia is committed to continuing to grow and serve the region‘s air travel needs,” stated Adel Al Ali, Air Arabia’s Group Chief Executive Officer. “Having just expanded our route to include more than 115 destinations and our fleet size by 42 new Airbus A320 aircraft, we are highly focused on providing the highest quality pilot training. This new announcement is an addition to Air Arabia’s existing flight simulator at its base in Sharjah International Airport and will support our efforts in providing state-of-the-art flight training devicesand the ability to train our pilots locally“.
Stated George Karam, TRU Simulation + Training Air Transport Division Vice President and General Manager, “We are extremely proud to have this opportunity to serve Air Arabia’s advanced pilot training needs and provide a solution that includes not only the full motion simulator, but also device maintenance, spare parts, logistics and customer support. By delivering a full service solution that allows the airline to “train at home,“ we are helping Air Arabia to meet its pilot training needs in the most cost effective way possible—a key business advantage for a fast-growing regional airline.“
The new business award demonstrates TRU Simulation + Training’s ability to provide a turn key solution for training commercial pilots flying the Airbus family of aircraft. With 24/7 support and maintenance services delivered to the customer site, the Train @ Home™ model is designed to support 99 percent availability of the TRU Simulation + Training A320 full motion flight simulator. The Train@Home model was created specifically for regional carriers like Air Arabia, saving the considerable time and expense associated with sending flight crews to distant pilot training centers for type-rating and recurrent training.
About Air Arabia :
Air Arabia (PJSC), listed on the Dubai Financial Market, is the Middle East and North Africa’s leading low-cost carrier (LCC). Air Arabia commenced operations in October 2003 and currently operates a total fleet of 42 new Airbus A320 aircraft, serving some 115 routes from five hubs in the UAE, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. Air Arabia is an award-winning airline that focuses on offering comfort, reliability and value-for-money air travel. For further information, please visit:
www.airarabia.com.
