CAE announced today that it has signed an exclusive 15-year agreement with the Qantas Group, to develop and operate a new state-of-the-art pilot training centre in Sydney, Australia.

"As the global leader in civil aviation training, we are thrilled to be expanding CAE's global network to Sydney, Australia to support the Qantas Group, a company that shares our unwavering commitment to safety," said Marc Parent, CAE's President and CEO. "As the operator of 50+ civil aviation training centres around the world, CAE is uniquely positioned to provide operational efficiencies to the Qantas Group and deliver an exceptional training experience for their pilots."

"The Qantas Group has trained its pilots and crew in Sydney for more than half a century. Through this partnership with CAE, we look forward to bringing this critical function back to New South Wales via the new custom-built facility," said Alan Joyce, Qantas Group's CEO. "As our international network recovers from the impact of COVID and we grow our fleet, this new training centre will give us the simulator capacity required to train our new and current pilots."

CAE will operate a new 7,000 square-metre CAE Sydney Training Centre that is slated to open in early 2024. In addition, CAE will deploy a new A320 full flight simulator and purchase the Qantas Group's B787, A330, and B737NG full-flight simulators and associated integrated procedures trainers for the new centre. The Qantas Group's A380 full-flight simulator and emergency procedures equipment will also be relocated to the new CAE Sydney Training Centre, where they will be operated and maintained by CAE. The development is subject to planning approvals, with a submission lodged by LOGOS who will develop the centre in partnership with CAE and the Qantas Group.

With a capacity for up to eight full-flight simulators, the CAE Sydney Training Centre will enable CAE to add more training capacity to address the addition of A350 and A321XLR aircraft to the Qantas Group's fleet. This new centre will also allow CAE to grow its network capacity to provide training to operators in the region.