Guests visit an Airbus 320 series full-motion simulator in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on March 21, 2023.(Photo: Xinhua)
This photo taken on March 21, 2023 shows the Lanmei flight simulator center and the Lanmei aircraft maintenance workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.(Photo: Xinhua)
The International Aviation Flight Simulator Center (IAFSC), which is the first full flight simulator in Cambodia, was officially put into use on Tuesday, aiming at helping develop human resources and talents in the aviation industry.
The IAFSC is affiliated with Lanmei University of Cambodia, under the Lanmei Aviation Group, which is based in Guangzhou, China.
Mao Havannall, Cambodian minister in charge of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian, as well as some 90 distinguished guests attended the inauguration ceremony held at the center adjacent to the Phnom Penh International Airport.
Havannall said the establishment of the center was another historical milestone in the development of human resources in Cambodia's aviation sector, saying that the center would help pilots, aircraft engineers and cabin crew build their skills and expertise.
"We are thankful to Lanmei University for bringing Airbus A320 full flight simulator to Cambodia," he said, adding that produced by Canadian aerospace company CAE group, it is the first-ever full flight simulator in Cambodia.
"The opening of the simulator center created history and filled the gap in Cambodian civil aviation simulator training," he said. "It will greatly stimulate the enthusiasm of Cambodian locals to choose the civil aviation industry, and will train more civil aviation practitioners for the development of Cambodian society, and will also greatly improve the flight safety of Cambodian civil aviation."
He also hoped that the simulator center will develop healthily and rapidly, become an industry benchmark in Cambodia and even the ASEAN region, and make greater contributions to the recovery of the world's civil aviation industry in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.
At the event, Havannall issued the first CAE1000-TSP Airbus 320 series full-motion simulator certificate to the IAFSC, which marked that the center has been officially recognized by the Cambodian government and can carry out simulator training for civil aviation professional pilots.
Li Kun, chairman of Lanmei Aviation Group, thanked the SSCA for supporting his company in its effort to help develop the country's civil aviation and said the center will provide pilot training courses with the highest safety and effectiveness.
"It will cultivate more aviation professionals for Cambodia and ASEAN countries, and make due contributions to assist the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism and promote regional connectivity."
The IAFSC is offering training courses for pilots, aircraft engineers, and cabin crew.
Son Sopheak, a 26-year-old student pilot at the International Aviation Flight Simulator Center, said the training course would last from 18 months to 24 months based on each student pilot's performance.
"This center will be a catalyst to produce more pilots for Cambodia, and it will help further develop Cambodia's civil aviation sector," he told Xinhua. "When I graduate, I hope that Lanmei Airlines will offer me a job as a co-pilot."
Matt Maiyorm, a 21-year-old aircraft engineering student at the International Aviation Flight Simulator Center, said she would spend two years learning both theories and practices and six months for on-the-job training with Lanmei Airlines.
"This center will help develop local human resources in civil aviation because currently, skilled staff in the aviation sector in Cambodia are mostly employed from abroad, so this school will develop human resources for Cambodian people," she told Xinhua.
