Cebu Pacific, Canadian firm to put up aviation school in Clark

MANILA, Philippines—An aviation training center for airlines in the Asia-Pacific region is to rise in the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga next year.

The project, which is estimated to cost $40 million to $50 million, is a joint venture of Cebu Pacific Air and the Canadian aviation training firm CAE.

According to Cebu Pacific, the aviation academy is scheduled to start operations in the third quarter of 2012.

“We are proud to partner with CAE to support CEB’s growing fleet, expansion plans and training requirements. This will also help make Asia-Pacific’s vibrant aviation industry more appealing in the face of growing competition for well-trained aviation professionals,” CEB president and CEO Lance Gokongwei said in a statement.

Airbus’ Global Market Forecast predicts that more than 34 percent (9,160) of total global airplane orders until 2030 will go to the Asia-Pacific region, of which 5,770 will be single-aisle planes like the A320, he added.

“By partnering with CAE, CEB once again underscores its commitment to enhance the Philippines’ tourism and aviation potentials by producing world-class pilots and crew,” Gokongwei said.

Jeff Roberts, CAE’s group president of Civil Simulation Products, Training and Services, said, “We are excited about this new relationship with CEB and the opportunity to help meet the increasing demand for high-quality pilots and other commercial aviation professionals in the Philippines and throughout the region. The new training center will be a world-class, one-stop training center for CEB and a hub for training services for other airlines.”

The state-of-the-art training center will be developed in consultation with CAE’s training facilities design team. It will initially be equipped with two Airbus A320 FFSs with capability to expand with two additional simulators.

The aviation academy is expected to provide training for other aviation personnel in the future, such as cabin crew, dispatch, ground handling personnel and cadets, Cebu Pacific said.