The simulators are also used for corporate events, from team building to character assessments for recruitment purposes.The simulators are also used for corporate events, from team building to character assessments for recruitment purposes.

A French former pilot is investing €6.5 million in an airline simulator for Airbus pilots, which he believes will put Malta – and its current aviation sector – much more firmly within the sights of airline operators.

The simulator will be delivered in July and can be used as soon as certification is obtained from the European and Maltese authorities.

Since 2009, Vincent Ruiz built up a simulator business – Flyanairliner – in Amsterdam, Paris and Miami, and soon in Singapore, offering three types of experience.

Flight enthusiasts from the age of 14 – his eldest client was 89 – can use the simulator to learn how to fly, and he promises that they should be able to land and take off the virtual aircraft within just an hour.

He also offers fear-of-flying courses, recreating the event that caused the fear in the first place and giving the client control of the virtual aircraft, to help them overcome their phobia.

“One in five people is scared of flying to some degree. Yet only nine per cent of those who are afraid of flying are suffering from a pure phobia. The majority develop the debilitating fear after a bad experience, usually turbulence,” Mr Ruiz said.

He claims that 86 per cent of the 772 who have attended the four-hour courses were still fear free after six months.

The simulators are also used for corporate events, from team building to character assessments for recruitment purposes.

Malta will offer all the above – but this will only represent a fraction of Sim Liner’s revenue, as he plans to get certification for the simulator to be used for flight training.

“I set up Flyanairliner on a whim – I was much younger!” he laughed. “But for this I did careful research. Between 2014 and 2033, Boeing estimates that 533,000 pilots will be needed – and there are clearly not enough training facilities available to cope with this demand.

“But an airline can only justify having its own simulator if it has at least 40 aircraft.

“So I looked at the number of airlines using Airbus within a 1,000-kilometre radius which need to train or re-certify pilots, which do not have their own. And I found that there was a real business case,” he said.

He opted for the latest technology which would recreate the Airbus 320 experience – covering the Airbus 318, 319 and 320 – and would be 95 per cent realistic.

This does not just refer to the flying experience but to the entire cockpit, using original manufacturer parts, down to the €40,000 pilot seats.

“Airlines around the world are cost-conscious and clearly try to do as much of their pilot training as possible in a simulator as opposed to in a real aircraft, as it costs €300 an hour compared with €28,000 respectively,” he said.

Mr Ruiz has already tied up with a European flight academy which will provide him with a steady flow of students. However, he intends to diversify the client base to manage his commercial risk.

“When you are offering something like this, you need the technology and the experience – but you also need the price.

“I have an exclusive partnership with Sim Finance, an independent consultant and finance provider in the flight training industry, which makes us very competitive,” he said.

“Malta’s aviation sector has been growing steadily and there are already academies offering training in a number of sectors. The simulator will extend that training to commercial pilots, putting us on the radar for new airline companies. This project is a real value proposition for Malta which will benefit all the existing stakeholders,” he said.

Sim Liner will be based just a kilometre from the airport and will employ six to eight people. The premises will get 60 per cent of its energy from solar power.

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