CAE (Stand 175) is adding a new Global 6500 full-flight simulator (FFS) at the Emirates-CAE Flight Training (ECFT) Al Garhoud center in May, the training specialist announced on the opening day of MEBAA 2022. The addition builds on the breadth of the center’s business aviation reach as CAE and Emirates celebrate the 20th anniversary of their ECFT partnership in Dubai.
“ECFT’s success is a testament to the strong partnership Emirates and CAE have developed over the past 20 years,” said CAE civil aviation group president Nick Leontidis. “With the deployment of the new Global 6500 FFS, we are securing ECFT’s reputation for delivering the most advanced business aviation training in the region.”
The relationship between Emirates and CAE actually spans 30 years, when the international operator acquired its first simulator, an Airbus A310-300/A300-600R, from the Montreal-based training specialist in 1992. By the end of that decade, Emirates had acquired six more simulators, including a custom emergency evacuation trainer, as the airline was rapidly growing.
With that foundation for their relationship, Emirates and CAE formed a training partnership in 2002 to establish ECFT and opened a 12-bay center the following year. This turned into a formal joint venture in 2006 with the center providing training to Emirates, as well as a growing number of airlines and business aviation operations in the region.
Since then, the joint venture has continued to expand as CAE and Emirates opened a second five-bay center in 2013. Today, the two centers house 19 simulators and train more than 12,000 pilots annually.
“Our consistent investment in infrastructure demonstrates our commitment to providing world-class aviation training in Dubai,” said Steve Allen, executive v-p at Emirates Group.