CAE opens Las Vegas training centre

CAE cadet in Hong Kong training centre

Flight training company CAE is set to open its new business aviation training centre in Las Vegas tomorrow.

The 50,000sq ft (4,600sq m) is the firm’s first training centre on the US West Coast, located in Clark County near Harry Reid International Airport. The centre has the capacity for up to eight full-flight simulators, seven of which are already in operation.

The new centre will train 2,500 pilots annually to help meet the high demand and keep customers flying, according to CAE.

There is an annual shortfall in the number of US pilots of 5,000, according to consultancy Flight Path Economics. About 60,000 pilots currently working in large network and cargo carriers are expected to retire by 2030, the consultant said.

In February, CAE reported that it made $1bn in revenue in the third quarter (Q3) of the fiscal year 2023, up from $849m the previous year. The company made an operating income of $146m in the same period, more than doubling from $66m in Q3 2022. During the quarter, CAE signed training contracts values at $713m for the business aviation and airlines sector, including a long-term business aviation training agreement with Delux Public Charter.