Airbus Industrie launches training centre in Bangalore

Airbus Industrie launches training centre in Bangalore

Staff Reporter

The new facility, which is its biggest outside Toulouse, will shift to Devanahalli

It is part of Airbus’ commitment to the Union Government

It will have seven simulators each priced up to $ 15 m

BANGALORE: Leading global aircraft maker Airbus Industrie launched its Airbus Engineering and Training Centre here, the biggest such facility outside its base in Toulouse, France, on Wednesday.

The centre, formally inaugurated by Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Enders, will be equipped with seven simulators and cater to 2,000 aviation engineers by 2010, besides addressing the shortage of trained pilots in the country.

Six simulators will be based on the A320 platform, and another on the A330 platform upgradable to A340.

Each of the simulators cost up to $ 15 million, Airbus officials told presspersons at the new facility on Old Madras Road here.

The training centre will eventually be shifted to a new location close to the Bangalore International Airport in Devanahalli.

Mr. Enders said that Airbus had emerged as aircraft manufacturer of choice in India.

“Last year, 75 per cent of the new orders for aircraft with more than 100 seats, were Airbus planes. We want to build on that success by ensuring mutually beneficial cooperation with the industry and research institutions here,” he said.
Commitment

The centre is part of Airbus’ $ 600 million offset commitment to the Union Government.

Buoyed by the sector’s 40 per cent growth recorded in the previous year and the projected domestic requirement for over 1,000 aircraft, Mr. Enders said the company expected to raise annual revenues of $ 1 billion.

Acknowledging India’s emergence as a strong aviation player, he cited Airbus’ partnership with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which now supplied about 50 per cent of A320 doors, with backlog of about 5,000 more doors.

“The partnerships are now moving from parts manufacturing to information technology, engineering, information technology enabled services and research and development, besides the traditional sub assemblies,” he said.

The company had selected five Bangalore-based private firms to work directly on Airbus projects as tier-1 suppliers.

While 100 engineers from Bangalore worked on the A380 project, over 1,000 were working on various other Airbus programmes, said another top Airbus official.

Mr. Enders confirmed that Air India had evinced interest in buying the new Airbus A380 aircraft.

Worldwide, the company had received orders for 189 such aircraft, with the latest contract from British Airways.

To a question, he reiterated the company’s plan to sell seven of its production sites in Europe to interested industrial partners.

This was to help the company focus on its core areas, he said.