flydubai signs deal with CAE and announces plans to open USD 56 million Full-Flight Simulator and Training Facility

• The purpose-built Full-Flight Simulator (FFS) and Training Facility for flydubai’s fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft is set to open by January 2025
• The new facility will feature six simulator bays to cater to the carrier’s training needs for its growing pilot community and will reduce its future training costs

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 14 November 2023: The Dubai-based carrier, flydubai, announced today plans to open a USD 56 million Full-Flight Simulator (FFS) and Training Facility. The construction work has already commenced and the advanced facility is scheduled to be fully operational by January 2025.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “over the last 14 years, flydubai has been on a tremendous growth trajectory that has seen the carrier evolve and innovate to become the airline it is today. The USD 56 million investment in the new training facility marks another milestone in our success story and reflects our unwavering commitment to operational efficiency and excellence. With more than 130 aircraft scheduled for delivery by 2035, the pressure of confirming available training slots with third-party simulator providers is alleviated by having our own simulator facility.”

The new 38,000 sq. ft facility is located on the grounds of the flydubai Campus and will be home to six simulator bays, offering capacity of more than 43,000 training hours a year. The building’s modular construction design allows for future expansion.

Mohammed Hareb AlMheiri, Chief Technology and Supply Chain Officer at flydubai, said: “we are proud to announce the plans for our very own Full-Flight Simulator facility which has always been a vital part of our growth strategy. As the demand for pilots and pilot training continues to soar in the region, it has become essential for airlines to have their own training facilities, enabling them to take more control over their training requirements. The new facility, which is set to open in 2025, will enable us to reduce our training cost, have firm control over our pilot training and retraining schedules and further support our growth trajectory.”

“We are working closely with CAE who will be providing the Boeing 737 MAX simulators in time to commence the first scheduled pilot training at the new centre in January 2025, as well as the readiness for two additional simulator bays suitable for either narrow body or wide body aircraft simulators,” added AlMheiri.

Nick Leontidis, CAE’s Group President, Civil Aviation, said: “we are happy to be building on our longstanding relationship with flydubai and supporting their growth with the four state-of-the-art B737 MAX full-flight simulators and the flight training device included in these agreements. CAE has been flydubai’s training partner since they began operations, and we look forward to providing our expertise and solutions as they expand and develop a new training centre in the region.”

flydubai’s new Full-Flight Simulator and Training Facility will lead to cost savings over the first 10 years of its operations. The facility primarily caters to flydubai’s pilot training needs as well as its Cabin Crew training. ​ The increased flexibility in the pilot training schedule and on-demand access to the simulator bays will enable further expansion of the airline’s training capabilities, which can be extended to other airlines in the future.

In addition to the advanced training facilities for its flight deck crew, flydubai offers a range of training and development programmes for its growing workforce and for other aviation professionals from its Campus in Dubai, which includes a cadet programme, a maintenance and engineering apprentice programme as well as its flydubai Cabin Crew Training Centre.