CAE to install two new flight training simulators in Vienna

CAE plans to add two new full-flight simulators to its new Vienna training facility taking the total to nine units.

CAE is to install two new full-flight simulators (FFS) at its new Vienna training centre and boost maintenance technician training at the facility. The new Embraer Phenom and Bombardier Challenger 3500 simulators will take the total in Vienna to nine, confirmed the training provider at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE 2024) in Geneva, Switzerland.

“We plan to add a Challenger 3500 and Phenom FFS in Vienna to address the high demand in Europe for pilots rated on these aircraft,” said Alexandre Prévost, CAE’s division president, Business Aviation. “We are seeing great interest for Bombardier Global 6000 Vision and 7500 training, and the Global 7500 full-flight simulator will be the first one in Europe providing access to training for this state-of-the-art aircraft,” he added.

The Phenom simulator destined for Vienna is part of a joint venture between CAE and Embraer, called Embraer CAE Training Services. This includes seven Phenom FFS, the latest of which started operation at CAE Burgess Hill, UK in March.

CAE will also be offer maintenance training at the facility in Vienna, Austria, which is due to open in the second quarter of 2025. The new training centre is designed to add capacity and complement the pilot and maintenance technician training delivered at CAE Burgess Hill. Like other CAE training facilities worldwide, the Vienna centre will offer all phases of classroom and simulator training for established pilots to earn their type-rating and complete recurrent training for differing authorities. The company’s maintenance technician training is offered on aircraft from OEMs including Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer, Gulfstream and others.

Meanwhile, more than 8,000 business aviation pilots and 10,000 private jet maintenance technicians will need to be recruited and trained in Europe by 2032, according to the company’s 2023 Aviation Talent Forecast. CAE’s European growth plans are designed to address the increased demand for skilled aviation professionals.

Worldwide, CAE forecasts 18% growth in the global business aviation fleet between 2023 and 2032, with up to 26,000 business jets in service. This is expected to fuel the need for more than 100,000 new business aviation recruits. “With retirements and attrition, coupled with the industry’s growth, the need to train business aviation professionals effectively and quickly is real,” said the company.

Over the past 13 months, for business aviation training, the company has inaugurated its first North American West Coast training centre in Las Vegas, Nevada, opened a new training centre in Savannah, Georgia, and broken ground on the new Vienna training centre.