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“Our core has been training and we strive to produce the safest and best pilots,” Khushbeg Jattana, General Manager, Simaero India International pilot training and flight simulator provider, Simaero, recently announced that it will invest $100 million in India to train up to 5,000 pilots over the next five years. The French aviation training services provider will bring in the investment in a phased manner to create training infrastructure in major Indian cities and install flight simulators to meet the growing demand for pilot training in India and the South Asian region. The simulator in the Delhi NCR facility is already under development phase and is expected to be ready by 2024 end or maximum by Q1 2025. Khushbeg Jattana, General Manager, Simaero India, in an interview with Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World, explains in detail about the upcoming training facility and Simaero’s vision towards creating a world-class sim facility in India.Excerpts: Q: What are Simaero’s plans in India in terms of investment, infrastructure and strategy? A: Simaero India was started in mid-2023 with the idea of establishing a simulation training centre in India, which will also be an Airline Training Organisation (ATO). It will be a DGCA and EASA-approved centre, similar to our ATO in Paris. The training centre will feature eight full-flight simulators and the building is expected to be ready by Q4 of 2024. It will be located 15 minutes from Delhi airport, right next to the NH8 highway. Initially, two simulators will be set up in this main facility: A320 NEO and the Boeing B737 NG. We plan to expand to other types of aircraft, including the B737 MAX and ATR 72-600, within 24 months of operation. Our goal is to have at least four full-flight simulators for the Airbus A320 NEO and at least two for the B737 MAX, as the A320 is the dominant type in India. Additionally, we aim to expand our footprint in India by establishing at least two satellite training centres, each hosting anywhere from two to four simulators, creating a hub-and-spoke model in India. The first satellite training centre is expected to be operational by 2026. We are considering locations in the East, with Kolkata being a primary candidate. We are also actively considering Mumbai and Bengaluru. Kolkata is of particular interest because eastern India currently lacks any training centres. Additionally, we see potential in neighbouring countries, such as Nepal, where we already conduct business through Simaero in Paris. Q: What quantum of pilot training do you project for India per year? A: As of today, India has more than 1,700 aircraft on order and around 800 aircraft currently flying, with approximately 10 percent grounded due to logistical and engine problems. All these aircraft orders are expected to be fulfilled within the next five to seven years, before 2030. In terms of aviation and population, India is the largest country in the world by population. If you compare it with China, which now has a smaller population but 10 times more aircraft, it is evident that India will grow to a similar level. The demand for new pilots is projected to be anywhere between 2,000 to 2,500 per year to accommodate the number of aircraft being inducted into Indian airlines. Currently, around 1,500 commercial pilots obtain their Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) license annually, so we need approximately 500 to 1,000 more pilots every year. In terms of infrastructure, out of the 1,500 pilots trained annually, not more than 500 are trained in India, with approximately two-thirds of them being trained in facilities outside the country. On the simulation side, it is the same avalanche effect. This growth will necessitate more simulators and aircraft for training in our country. As the fleet grows, the requirement will become even bigger. Over the next 10 years, I foresee a significant demand and the need to triple the current simulator infrastructure in India. According to the DGCA, there are around 30 active simulators in India. On the aircraft side, we need to increase the number of Commercial Pilot License (CPL) training aircraft by five times to meet the growing demand. Q: What kind of infrastructure does Simaero have at present globally? A: Presently, Simaero, as an international group, has training centres in France, China and South Africa. We have two training centres in France: one in Paris and another smaller one in Brittany. We are opening another training centre in Paris, which will be operational by Q1 2025. The first simulator to be installed in this training centre will be an A350. We also have a training centre in South Africa and we recently opened a training centre in Changsha, China. In terms of infrastructure, we plan to have eight full flight simulator in Delhi NCR and at least eight more at our satellite centres across India. We aim to support 16 full-flight simulators in the next five to six years. This will include a mix of A320s and the new A321XLR, which Indian airlines have significant orders for. Additionally, we will have B737 MAX and ATR 72 600 simulators. We are always open to installing wide-body simulators, as we already have A330/A340 and upcoming A350 in our training centres in Paris. Our plans are adaptable to customer requirements and we are flexible in purchasing and implementing the necessary simulators to meet their needs. Q: What will be the actual timeline for starting the facility? A:We have started our application process with the DGCA earlier this month. We expect the delivery of the building to be completed by Q4 this year and the simulators at the same time. Therefore, we aim to be ready for training by December or January 2025 at the latest. Regarding training costs, we aim to be highly competitive compared to existing facilities in India and those popular among students abroad. In fact, we plan to be cheaper than the international market. Our primary strategy focuses on initial flight training, specifically type rating, which currently sees

In 2023 we began an ambitious three-year journey to ensure ICAO is fit for the future. Our goal is to become more results-driven with a people-focused culture and way of working. We want to be transparent, accountable, efficient, and value-guided, and ensure that we are innovative and agile. We are at the halfway point of this journey, we wanted to sit down with ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar to discuss the progress so far. Q: Mr. Salazar, thank you for joining us. To begin, we should probably ask why you decided to embark on this transformation journey? JCS: The aviation industry is facing unparalleled changes and challenges that are driven by the unprecedented speed of innovation, the heightened awareness, and the need to improve resilience in the wake of global public health emergencies, and the climate crisis, which is, in fact, just one of the environmental challenges we face. We launched this journey to equip ICAO with the capabilities and capacities it needs to tackle the issues and opportunities more effectively, to ensure we can unite and lead the aviation community towards a safe, secure, and sustainable future. Q: ICAO has named this its “Transformational Objective.” How would you describe the overall progress towards it so far? JCS: We’ve seen a lot of early achievements in all areas: people and culture, digital and operations. This reflects our collective passion, hard work, and dedication to our vision for the organization. Our first 12 months were focused on setting the foundations. We now look forward to seeing more tangible results from implementation, and soon. We are going to accelerate our efforts, with the changes bringing exciting opportunities for growth, innovation, and personal development for ICAO personnel. It’s about building upon the spirit of collaboration and excellence that defines the Organization worldwide. Q: What key achievements or milestones that have been reached at this halfway point? JCS: I am so proud of the hard work of all our colleagues and immensely thankful for their continuous dedication. For me, the highlights so far have been the development, approval, and launch of our ambitious People First Strategy and the progress in our digital transformation, especially in information security. We have also launched our new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system project and have the approval to launch several new policies and strategies that will enable us to build on these strong foundations. We’ve made significant progress with our project for managing our Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). This will improve the efficiency, transparency and business intelligence of the SARPs process, not only for development and updates, but also for consultation and analytics. Q: How well are we tracking against the initial goals and objectives set for the Transformational Objective? JCS: We began this journey with four concrete goals: improved collaboration with stakeholders, a transformational shift in our work culture, enhanced efficiencies of our internal operations, and simplified processes. We’re making steady progress in each area. Out of our 38 projects nine have already been successfully completed while a further 20 are in full implementation. Collaboration with stakeholders has strengthened, particularly through transparent communication and engagement, but also through policy work on agreements with third parties and the implementation of a state-of-the-art customer relationship management (CRM) software. Our culture transformation is underway with several initiatives that further promote integrity, enhanced inclusivity, and encourage innovation. In terms of simplification, we are working on an Implementation Support model to promote a more efficient and unified One-ICAO approach to support States with their aviation-related needs. The establishment of an enterprise-wide business process management system, employing the Kaizen methodology, to continuously improve internal processes, will support this simplification, particularly with the implementation of new technologies and streamlined workflows. Q: What are the most valuable lessons earned from the transformation journey so far? JCS: Our transformation journey has taught us several valuable lessons. The importance of a clear vision and communication cannot be overstated. It is crucial that we ensure everyone understands, and is aligned, with our objectives. Strong leadership commitment has driven the initiative forward and has inspired confidence. We’ve also learned the significance of engaging our employees at all levels to gain their buy-in and valuable feedback. Flexibility and adaptability have been key in navigating challenges, while celebrating even incremental wins, has kept morale high. Lastly, routinely analyzing where our priorities lie and where our resources can be the most effective, has been fundamental in sustaining our progress. This has relied on solid portfolio management and governance for the implementation of projects. Q: Recognizing that long-standing practices can make change difficult, how do you get people to embrace new initiatives and remain open-minded about adopting new ways of doing things? JCS: Just because we have always done things one way, doesn’t mean there aren’t better, more efficient ways of doing things. We have to focus on clear and consistent communication about the benefits and necessity of these changes. We also have to involve employees and stakeholders at all levels in the transformation process, ensuring their voices are heard and their feedback is integrated in our plans. We have to equip people with the skills and knowledge needed to adapt to new methods. By highlighting success stories and incremental wins we can demonstrate the positive impact of these changes, which in turn helps to build confidence and commitment across the organization. Q: What are your expectations for the second half of the Transformational Objective? JCS: As we move into the second half of our journey, I anticipate an acceleration in implementation across all transformation areas—people, digital, and operations. We’re working hard to become a results-based organization. This is already evident in our new business plan and budget structuring for the next triennium, which follow a results-based management approach. The introduction of our Corporate Performance Monitoring and Reporting Tool marks a significant leap in how we measure success, enabling us to track progress and make informed decisions. While we are likely to see many project objectives realized, it’s important to

AAL AG is one of the largest MRO in Europe and together with its partners at the airport, it can combine maintenance, full aircraft paint and full cabin refurbishment. In an interview, Natascha RODE, Managing Director, AAL Ltd. speaks with Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World and briefs more about the the business presence, its extension and plans for India. Excerpts: Q: What are the core business segments that AAL deals into? A: AAL AG, better known as Altenrhein Aviation Limited specializes in maintenance of mid-size cabin jets. As a Gulfstream and Embraer Authorized Service Center we cater to all customers’ needs from an AOG to heavy maintenance, it can be a 16C on a Gulfstream or a 120 Month inspection on an Embraer.Together with our partners at the airport we can combine maintenance, full aircraft paint and full cabin refurbishment. In the recent, turbulent years, we have seen frequent aircraft ownership changes. In average, we perform 2 PPIs a month, they are always followed by a registration change. Many leave EASA world for other countries or the other way around. Aviation equals bureaucracy.Aircraft document review is a must. Aircraft must meet new registry regulations. We have seen cases where installed STCs had to be validated or removed. A visual inspection of the aircraft can save the new owner loads of stress and money. WIFI is the “new kid on the EMEA block”. There are new solutions for aircraft operating outside of the USA (not Air to Ground inflight connectivity), which provide fast and affordable connectivity. Together with our partners we develop and install new solutions for our customers` fleets. Q: AAL having served the Aviation industry for over 50 years now, how do you see the evolution of the sector? A: AAL is soon to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Since a few years we are part of the Atlas Air Service Group, who recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Together we are one of the largest MROs in Europe. For the past years many OEMs merged and many aviation companies as well. Merging and buy-outs seem to be the way many companies take. MRO business is a tough business with low margins and high risks. Customers definitely benefit from larger MROs – we are more flexible in allocating slots at one of our bases, we have a larger pool of parts and stronger working relationships with many OEMs. Q: What’s the USP of AAL that makes it the preferred partner of its clients? A: Switzerland is not exactly around the corner. Our experience and our quality of work is what brings customers from all over the world to us. Experienced certifying staff is scarce, training is more and more expensive, however at AAL 90% of technicians assigned to a project are certified B1s or B2s. Knowledge and experience are priceless. Also, it is rare that you can paint and refurbish an aircraft in combination with a heavy check, all at the same location. We can! Q: India seems to be a new market for AAL. What are the prospects that are being projected for this region? A:There are many Gulfstream G150s and G200s flying in India already. We expect some G280s to join their “smaller” sisters soon. We already have customers from India flying to us for major checks. We are in regular contact with them, supporting them with tools, parts and suggestions during their minor checks at local Indian MROs. Q: Any plans to fully venture into India to cater to the growing business aviation sector? A: It is too early to say. At this stage we have plans to expand even more in Europe with additional capabilities, but of course Indian market is very interesting and if we would be presented with a right business proposal we would give it a go. (Interview exclusively published in Aviation World July-August 2024 Print + Digital edition)