Middle East Civil Aviation Flight Training and Simulation Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Middle East civil aviation flight training and simulation market is expected to register a CAGR of more than 15% during the forecast period (2022-2027).

Due to the impact of COVID-19, the aviation industry in the Middle East was severely affected, which led to a decrease in the revenues of airlines. To mitigate additional losses, major airlines in the region, like Etihad Airways and Emirates, have undertaken multiple actions such as laying off pilots and crew, retiring aging aircraft in service as well as cancelation or postponement of existing aircraft orders. However, as the aviation industry began recovering from the pandemic in 2021, the aircraft pilot training schools started investing in increasing their training capacities to cater to a short-term surge in pilot demand in the coming years.

Nevertheless, the growing passenger traffic and planned aircraft deliveries to the airlines and aircraft during the forecast period are expected to drive the growth of the pilot training and simulation market during the forecast period.

Currently, the number of local pilots is low in the region, and airlines in the Middle East are focusing on developing the local talent pool. While this helps the airlines in the region reduce the extra expense of hiring foreign pilots and helps the governments create local job opportunities. Such initiatives by the airlines are expected to boost the demand for pilot training in the future.

Key Market Trends

The Simulator Training Segment held the Largest Share in 2021

The simulator training segment has accounted for the highest share in 2021 due to the increasing use of simulators by the pilot training schools, as they allow the cadets to apply theory and gain experience in skills or procedures. By minimizing the possibility of erroneous actions taken by the crew, simulator training enhances the scope of training to test an unlimited number of scenarios and actions to be taken during unfavorable flight conditions, some of which are either dangerous to work on in real flight or are forbidden to work on during the real flight. Simulation software permits the trainers to alter the flight parameters such as weather and topography to acquaint the students with a broader operational portfolio of aircraft. Such advantages offered by simulation-based training lead to training schools' investment in acquiring new and advanced simulators.

For instance, in November 2021, OxfordSaudia Flight Academy ordered two Level 5 Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTD) from Diamond Aircraft Austria. The FSTDs are expected to be configured for DA40 NG and DA42-VI aircraft and deployed at its academy's center at King Fahad International Airport. The company currently has four FTD Diamond simulators. The regional airlines are partnering with training academies to provide long-term simulation training. In 2019, Turkish Airlines signed agreements with BAA Training and Patria to provide training to their flight cadets for three years. Such partnerships are expected to propel the market's growth in the future.

The United Arab Emirates Accounted for Highest Share in the Market in 2021

The United Arab Emirates currently dominates the market and is expected to continue its dominance over the market during the forecast period. This is primarily due to the high pilot demand from major airlines, namely, Emirates and Etihad Airways. As the air travel demand in the country began to recover gradually in 2021, the airlines announced their plans to recruit pilots, cabin crew, and engineering specialists, among others, to boost their operations to pre-pandemic levels. On this note, in October 2021, Emirates announced that as a part of its plan to boost its operational workforce, it would recruit over 6,000 staff by April 2022. Under this plan, the airline is expected to recruit more pilots (about 600), cabin crew, engineering specialists, and ground staff as it anticipates its flight operations to reach pre-pandemic levels by mid-2022.

Similarly, the flydubai recalled all the pilots and cabin crew (furloughed during the pandemic) into service from June 2021 and announced its plan to cease hiring activities before 2022. Currently, major airlines in the country, Emirates, Etihad, and flydubai, have over 400 aircraft on order with Airbus and Boeing. This is expected to generate high demand for new pilots in the country in the coming years. To cater to the short-term increase in demand for new pilots, the regional pilot training schools are increasing their fleet of training equipment. For instance, in November 2021, Emirates-CAE Flight Training (ECFT), a joint venture of Emirates Group and CAE, announced its plan to acquire a second CAE 7000XR Series Boeing 737 MAX full-flight simulator (FFS) to expand its pilot training capacity in Dubai to cater to pilot demand flydubai's future fleet growth. The delivery of the FFS is scheduled for the end of 2022. Such factors are activated to boost the market's growth in the country in the future.

Competitive Landscape

The Middle East civil aviation flight training and simulation market is highly fragmented, with many local training schools in the region. Some prominent players in the market are CAE Inc., Etihad Aviation Training Academy, Turkish Airlines Flight Training, Emirates Flight Training Academy, and Egyptair Training Academy. The players in the market are gradually increasing their market share by introducing new simulators for initial flight training and procuring new piston-engine aircraft for practical training, which may help them increase their overall training capacities.

For instance, in July 2021, the Prince Sultan Aviation Academy (PSAA) received a new A320 Reality Seven Full Flight Simulator from L3Harris Technologies. The simulator was delivered as a part of the contract signed by the companies in 2019 and would support training the pilots and first officers at the institute's headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Such procurements of training equipment are expected to help the schools partner with airlines and aircraft operators, thereby increasing their presence in the market. On this note, in January 2021, Etihad Aviation Training (EAT) signed a contract with Israir Airlines to offer Full-Flight Simulator pilot training for Israir Airlines' Airbus A320 pilots. As part of the agreement, Israir is expected to dry lease EAT's Full-Flight Simulators at the training facility located in Abu Dhabi. The training is expected to be conducted by Israir instructors at the Etihad training facility. Such partnerships are expected to support the growth of regional companies.

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