BIA to be regional aviation training hub

SriLankan Airlines took a step towards transforming Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) into a regional hub for aviation training, with the signing of an agreement with SIM Industries BV of the Netherlands to set up a full flight simulator.

The final 10-year agreement between SriLankan Airlines and SIM Industries was signed on March 14 in Colombo by SriLankan Chairman Nishantha Wickremasinghe, CEO SIM Frank Uit den Bogaard, SriLankan CEO Manoj Gunawardena and Chief Financial Officer SIM Bas Klerx.

From left: CFO SIM Industries Bas Klerx, CEO SIM Industries Frank Uit den Bogaard, Chairman SriLankan Airlines Nishantha Wickremasinghe, CEO SriLankan Airlines Manoj Gunawardena and Head Flight Operations SriLankan Airlines Navin de Silva

The state-of-the-art flight simulator will be marketed in the region by SriLankan and SIM to train pilots in the operation of Airbus A320 aircraft. The A320 family of aircraft is favoured for mid-range routes among airlines worldwide, including those in the rapidly growing airline industry of the Indian subcontinent.

Flight simulator training is a standard requirement around the world for airline pilots, and SIM Industries BV is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and operators of flight simulators.

Its full flight simulators contain the most advanced components from aircraft manufacturers, making the training experience a complete replica of real-life cockpit situations.

CEO SIM Industries Frank Uit den Bogaard said: “SIM Industries has set up a large number of full flight simulators around the world. It is important that we have a training centre in this part of the world.

There is a tremendous amount of potential to bring pilot training to Sri Lanka from around this region.”

SriLankan CEO Manoj Gunawardena said: “SriLankan has strengthened its wide range of facilities to turn BIA into a centre for all aviation related activities - air travel, tourism, air cargo, aircraft maintenance, airport ground handling, and aviation training. The full flight simulator will become a showpiece of our training facilities.”

SriLankan’s Head, Flight Operations Captain Navin de Silva said: “Our pilot training program, which has built up a sound reputation over three decades, is about to enter a new era where we will serve not just the requirements of our own airline, but other airlines in the region.”

SriLankan is making plans to add a second full flight simulator for pilot training on wide-bodied A330 and A340 aircraft, depending on the success of the first flight simulator.

All of SIM Industries’ flight simulators are certified to ‘Level D’ standard, the highest level of sophistication which makes it identical to that of an aircraft.

The flight simulator is scheduled for completion in six months. The initial MoU for the project had been signed last May.

SriLankan has an excellent cadet pilot training program that has produced hundreds of pilots who serve in the finest airlines in the world.

Its Technical Training Centre, which is certified to the EASA 147 standard of the European Aviation Safety Agency, is also a centre for training aircraft engineers and technicians for many of the region’s airlines.