Hong Kong's second carrier Dragonair is studying the acquisition of an Airbus Industrie A330 simulator as it continues on an ambitious expansion course that will see its fleet doubling over the next five years.
General manager of the regional operator's new flight training centre, Capt Felix Hart, says studies into the acquisition of an A330 full-flight simulator have been carried out since around the time a first simulator for A320 training went into service in June this year.
He says Dragonair estimates that it will use the CAE-made A320 simulator for around 3,000hr per year, leaving open another 2,000hr for third-party use which is likely to start soon.
Hart estimates that an A330 simulator can be used by Dragonair for 2,000hr per year, leaving open around 3,000hr for use by other parties.
"I'm confident that we can make a viable commercial case for the A330 simulator," he says.
Hart adds that the airline is open to various methods to acquire one, such as through a sale- and lease-back arrangement, a "power-by-the-hour" arrangement, direct purchase or co-operation with a major crew training provider.
Dragonair currently trains its A330 pilots on simulators at Airbus facilities in both Beijing and Toulouse, as well as at Cathay Pacific Airways' crew training centre in Hong Kong. Hart says Cathay has informed Dragonair that it will not be able to provide time on A330 simulators next year, however, because of its own training requirements.
The regional carrier currently operates an all-Airbus passenger fleet comprising five Rolls-Royce Trent 700-powered A330-300s plus six International Aero Engines V2500-powered A320s and three A321s. Another A320 is to be returned to Dragonair next year after a lease agreement expires with Taiwan's TransAsia Airways.
Dragonair earlier this year detailed a major fleet expansion that will lift its passenger fleet to 26 aircraft by the end of 2005 through the purchase and lease of additional A320s, A321s and A330s.
The carrier was launched in 1985 and now operates passenger services to 26 cities in Asia including 17 in mainland China. It recently started operating all-cargo services to the Middle East, Europe and China using a Boeing 747-200 freighter on wet-lease from Atlas Air, and has outlined plans to acquire more freighters in the coming years.
New passenger flights to Kathmandu in Nepal are also to be launched late in October, while existing services to major cities in China have been upgraded in recent months.
Hart, who has been with the carrier since its establishment, says the expansion plans put a much greater focus on crew training. He adds that he foresees a global pilot shortage in the coming years and this will put additional pressure on airlines to have their own pilot training capabilities.
In addition to introducing its first flight simulator this year as well as cabin crew training devices, Dragonair has launched a cadet pilot training programme and a first class of students has just completed schooling. Hart says three of four students sent to Australia for training graduated, adding that a new class of five is to start training soon.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news