National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines inaugurated a flight simulation complex (SIM), the first of its kind in Viet Nam, in HCM City on Tuesday, marking a breakthrough in the firm’s pilot training strategy.

The complex, located at Vietnam Airlines’ training centre in HCM City’s Tan Binh District, comprises four simulators, including two for training pilots on the Airbus A321 aircraft, one for the Airbus A350 and one for the Boeing 787 aircraft.

Duong Tri Thanh, general director of Vietnam Airlines, said that with the complex, the carrier wants to create an ideal training environment for pilots, as modern technology will help control and ensure the quality of training.

Vietnam Airlines will take the initiative in training pilots in line with international standards. It also expects to save over VND285 billion (US$12.5 million) over 10 years by training pilots in-house, Thanh added.

The SIM complex is also expected to help the training centre become one of the top five in Asia. The centre currently provides training services for many airlines in the region, including those from Australia and India.

Vietnam Airlines, a member of Skyteam Alliance, operates 90 routes to 20 domestic and 29 international destinations with an average of 400 flights per day. It owns a fleet of modern airplane models, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A350-900 XWB, Airbus A330 and Airbus A321. — VNS