Sabena expanding fast, thanks to Kingfisher and Spice

Sabena Airline Training Center, 5010 E. Falcon Drive, is preparing the next generation of pilots to fly Boeing and Airbus aircraft for airlines in Europe and Asia.
In February, the company moved its training center from Scottsdale Municipal Airport to Falcon Field to accommodate growth as the company lines up more business with rapidly growing airlines in the developing world.
This year Sabena is planning to graduate 350 pilots, up from 220 last year. Also, the center is buying 13 new state-of-the-art, fuel-efficient training aircraft to supplement its mostly-Piper fleet. And the center is growing its staff from about 50 employees to 90 by June, Kris Van den Bergh, managing director of the center, said.
The growth is the result of contracts Sabena has signed to train pilots for Kingfisher Airlines and SpiceJet, both start-up domestic airlines in India.
In addition to a fleet of 25 light airplanes and two simulators in Mesa, the company operates six simulators at Brussels Airport that mimic Boeing 737 and Airbus A320/330/340 aircraft. Those simulators continue to be used by numerous European airlines to train their pilots.
Sabena doesn’t train any students for U.S. airlines, but the company employs mostly American flight instructors, Van den Bergh said.
The program involves 20 to 30 weeks of training in Arizona. Once they obtain their pilot’s license for general aviation aircraft, the students are qualified to go on for training in specific Boeing or Airbus aircraft in Brussels or in their own airlines’ training programs, he said.
The pilot training business is a big industry in Arizona. Online flight directories list more than 50 such schools in Arizona, which are attracted by the good year-around flying weather and wide-open air spaces.
28/03/07 Ed Taylor/East Valley Tribune, US