AIRBUS SAS does not only sell airplanes. Training the pilots flying Airbus aircraft has become a core activity for the European plane maker.

Given that the active flight crew population employed by airlines in Asia-Pacific is expected to surge more than 2½ times to almost 176,000 over the next 20 years, Airbus is aggressively looking to expand its training services footprint in the region.

According to Airbus Asia Training Centre Pte Ltd (AATC) general manager Captain Yann Lardet, training services is part of the company’s growth strategy.

“The Airbus flight training presence in the world has been a long story and our footprint is growing. It started with three legacy [wholly owned] Airbus flight crew training centres in Toulouse, France, Miami in the US and Beijing, China. Today, we have 14 training centres set up in cities such as Dubai, New Delhi, Singapore and Mexico City,” he told reporters during a recent media tour of the AATC in Singapore.

Airbus, in collaboration with low-cost carrier Vietjet Air, is slated to open another flight training centre in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, later this year or in early 2018. Under the agreement signed this month, Vietjet‘s flight training centre will host an Airbus A320 full-flight simulator (FFS) to conduct flight crew training for its A320 family fleet.

“The project is on track, with more developments to come as we grow our global footprint, as the next 20 years will see the need for about one million pilots and engineers (560,000 new pilots and 540,000 new engineers) to fly and maintain the new aircraft,” says Lardet. He declined to reveal other potential locations for training facilities.

Lardet says Airbus is expanding its training services in Asia-Pacific because it is a core market for the company, accounting for one-third (31%) of the company’s total orders worldwide to date and 33% of Airbus in service fleet. Currently, there are more than 3,000 Airbus aircraft in service with almost 100 airlines across the region, and over 2,300 aircraft on order with Asia-Pacific customers for future delivery.

“We want to be as close as possible to our customers,” Lardet says.

Another reason is the potential growth opportunities in the region. According to Airbus’ Global Market Forecast, passenger traffic in Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at an average 5.5% a year over the next 20 years, faster than world traffic at 4.5% a year. “By 2035, we believe that airlines in Asia-Pacific will lead in world traffic,” says Lardet.

Airbus also predicts that Asia-Pacific will lead the demand for new aircraft in the coming years, with the in-service fleet growing from around 5,700 aircraft today to almost 14,700 over the next 20 years.

“Based on an average requirement of 12 pilots per aircraft, this will see the active flight crew population in the region increasing from 68,000 to 176,000, generating significant demand for flight crew training services,” says Lardet.

To help Airbus grow and expand its training services into new markets, he notes that there are several viable options.

In Singapore, Airbus has a joint-venture (JV) agreement with Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA). The AATC, which was officially opened in April last year, is 55%-owned by Airbus and 45% by SIA.

“We have a number of existing models in order to cooperate with airlines. Another option is to enter into service contracts like that with Vietjet Air in Ho Chi Minh City. The training centre will be owned by Vietjet Air, but the FFS will belong to Airbus,” says Lardet.

“The principle that we adopt is we go and meet the customer. We listen to their expectations and then we try to find the model that suits both parties.”

He says some US$100 million has been invested in the 9,250 sq m AATC in Singapore for the building and six FFS, comprising one A320, two A330s, two A350 XWBs and one A380. “By 2018, we will have two more simulators: one A350 and one A320.

“Our business plan is to have eight FFS by 2019, which will make the AATC Airbus’ largest flight crew training facility with the capacity to offer courses for more than 10,000 trainees per year.”

Lardet notes that the focus on A330, A350 and A380 training services reflects the strong demand for wide-body aircraft in the region over the next 20 years. In this segment, Airbus’ A330, A330neo, A350 XWB and the A380 offer the most comprehensive wide-body product range from 200 to above 600 seats.

In the single-aisle market, where the A320 family and the latest generation A320neo family are firmly established as the global market leaders, Airbus forecasts a need for over 23,500 new aircraft worth US$2.4 trillion. This represents 71% of all new units. Asia-Pacific will take 39% of these deliveries.

Since the establishment of the AATC, Lardet says Airbus has been approached by airlines interested in working with the company to set up flight crew training centres in their home bases.

Twenty-eight airlines, including Malaysia Airlines Bhd, have already signed up to use the AATC’s services.

“We signed a three-year service contract with Malaysia Airlines last year to serve the airline’s needs for the six new A350-900s that will be delivered between the fourth quarter of 2017 and the second quarter of 2018,” says Lardet.

Malaysia Airlines is leasing the A350-900s from Aircraft Lease Corp. It will operate the aircraft on its premium routes with a luxurious three class layout.

On whether an airline’s training needs will be served in Toulouse or elsewhere, Lardet says: “It is at the discretion of the airline and Airbus to find the place that is most suitable for the airline. Geographical proximity [plays a crucial role] and we will do our best to serve the airline customers as close as possible to their base.”

On AirAsia Bhd, a major Airbus customer, Lardet says the low-cost carrier has built a wholly-owned self-sufficient training facility in Sepang, Selangor.

“AirAsia has been a long-term customer in Toulouse for all the entry to service of new aircraft. In the meantime, it has designed its own (training) capacity and is self-sufficient. But if AirAsia wants to come here (AATC), it is more than welcome to do so,” he says.

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