Reports of tight deal by Airbus for Aeroflot on A310 simulator

Published: 11/22/1999

The installation of Airbus Industrie"s A310 flight simulator at the Aeroflot training centre in Moscow"s Sheremetyevo airport is now complete. The official opening ceremony will take place on 24th November. Its installation follows several years of negotiations between Airbus and Aeroflot. Sources within Aeroflot have confirmed that the simulator will not be owned by Aeroflot and suggest that the terms imposed by Airbus are somewhat draconian. It is rumoured that Airbus and Aeroflot have an oral agreement in which the simulator could be removed in the event of Aeroflot"s A310 fleet getting smaller. Currently, the Russian flag carrier operates nine A310s, with a tenth airframe still not delivered. Aeroflot has plans to train pilots from other CIS carriers operating Airbus aircraft, including Uzbekistan Airways.

Article ID: 1113