By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 11 July 2014:
Libya’s has demonstrated its commitment to training a whole new generation of pilots as part . . .[restrict]of a major upgrade to the country’s aviation sector by a proposed investment in a flight crew training centre in Tunisia.
Libya African Aviation Holding Company (LAAHCO), under which both state-owned airlines Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Airlines operate, is in the process of buying a 26 percent stake in the Aviation Training Centre of Tunisia (ATCT), the Director General of the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority, Captain Nasereddin Shaebelain, told the Libya Herald.
The ATCT has two A320 aircraft simulators as well as other A320 flight training equipment. Simulation is now the method used internationally to train and retrain pilots, and Libya’s investment puts into action the LAAHCO’s strategic vision, which includes a commitment to providing access to high-level training and qualifications for its staff.
The ATCT is the only such flight staff training centre in North Africa but several key players in Libya’s aviation sector are talking about investing in simulators in Libya.
“We have more than 200 pilots active in Libya and, according to the specific requirements of the operator, each pilot has to be trained every six months or every year with simulator training,” said the Quality Manager of the Executive Authority for Special Flights (EACS), Moktar Aljermi.
EACS, which operates under the Prime Minister’s office, operates a fleet of some of the country’s top aircraft, including jets that transport government ministers and senior officials on state visits.
“There are two things that cost the aviation sector a lot of money – the first is training pilots abroad and the second is doing maintenance abroad,” he said. “We are exploring the possibility of establishing a simulation training centre here and we have a facility at Tripoli airport which we could modify to accommodate one or two simulators.”
Although the idea is still in early stages, EACS is now looking at the potential of a joint venture with a simulator company, or investment from a foreign company.
“If we build a huge training centre here in Libya, we can be very attractive to the region, especially if we can compete with prices and services,” Shaebelain said. “This could be done via a joint venture with a simulation manufacturer like the Canadian company CAE.”
He said that, although a simulator would cost maybe $10 million, it would be a good investment for the country, with huge regional demand for A320 simulators, which could work almost 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Shaebelain added that Libya’s vast airspace, its good weather and its flat, desert topography made it the perfect learning environment for pilots.
Aljermi said that the most immediate requirement for simulator training was for Airbus models, but added that there was potential for investing in simulators aimed specifically at the training needs of the Libyan Airforce, if plans to invest in C130J Super Hercules aircraft and Chinook CH-47 twin-rotary helicopters came to fruition. “It could be for both the Air Force and civil aviation,” he said, adding that such a venture would support all the pilots of Libya.
Libyan Airlines, too, is looking at expanding its Benghazi-based training centre, once its new headquarters is built. “We would be looking to invest in a simulator for Airbus A350,” said Libyan Airlines Chairman Khaled Taynaz, adding that Libyan Airlines had already placed an order for several A350s. He added that, with the current security situation in Benghazi, the airline realised this would take some time, which was part of the rationale for investing in the ATCT. [/restrict]
