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Lufthansa Flight Training and Vnukovo International Airport plan training joint venture in Russia

Lufthansa Flight Training (LFT) and the joint stock company Vnukovo International Airport have agreed to form a joint venture to set up and operate a simulator center for pilot training.


A Memorandum of Understanding on the founding of a joint venture in January 2009 was signed recently in Moscow. "Russian airlines already have a growing number of western aircraft in their fleets. The Russian market is developing rapidly and Vnukovo Airport will play a pivotal role in its future growth," Vitaly Vantsev, CEO of Vnukovo International Airport, said, explaining the decision to base the joint venture in Moscow. Ludwig Merkel, Managing Director of Lufthansa Flight Training, added: "The overall volume of the Russian flight training market is set to expand steadily. In keeping with our customers' wishes we would therefore like to offer localised simulator training."

All the simulators at the new training centre will comply with the highest quality standards and will guarantee a flight training environment that is extremely close to reality. The center has been designed so that new courses can be added, as required, to the existing program on offer.

Vnukovo has already funded preparatory work for the construction of the training center, which is scheduled for completion at the end of 2009. The first pilots will thus be able to start training at Vnukovo Airport in January 2010. While most of the potential customers of the new training center will be Russian carriers, the aim is also to attract airlines from neighboring countries. Today, all Russian airlines train their pilots in Europe, Asia and America, which calls for a large investment in terms of time and money. For most airlines, therefore, a training center located in Russia that complies with Russian and international standards and is also equipped with state-of-the-art technology is a much more cost-effective option.

The founding of a flight training center in Russia will thus make a valuable contribution towards flight safety and will also give Russian carriers easier access to international passenger and cargo transport markets.
1/5/09