Work begins on Flydubai’s $56m training facility

Flydubai

Dubai’s low-cost carrier Flydubai said work has commenced on its $56 million full-flight simulator (FFS) and training facility, which will be fully operational by January 2025.

“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,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO, Flydubai. 

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

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“The new facility will enable us to reduce our training cost, have firm control over our pilot training and retraining schedules and further support our growth trajectory, stated Mohammed Hareb Al Mheiri, chief technology and supply chain officer, Flydubai.

The airline is working with CAE, a Canadian manufacturer of simulation technologies, which will provide Boeing 737 MAX simulators in time to commence the first scheduled pilot training at the new centre in January 2025, added Al Mheiri.

The airline’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 and cabin crew training needs. ​ 

Fellow Dubai carrier Emirates this week announced an investment of $950 million to build a new engineering facility at Dubai World Central to support the UAE’s aviation infrastructure.