Zhuhai-assembled SR20 is trainer for Lufthansa pilots

The Lufthansa Aviation Training in Goodyear, Arizona, USA has selected the technologically advanced SR20 single-engine plane as its primary trainer. Cirrus Aircraft, a subsidiary of Zhuhai-headquartered China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA), released the news at its SR20 assembly plant in Duluth, Minnesota on June 13.

Arizona is where future Lufthansa Airlines pilots conduct flight training with small aircraft. Deutsche Lufthansa AG itself, Europe's largest airline company, is headquartered in Cologne, Germany.

Cirrus officials said the partnership with Lufthansa Aviation Training marks another milestone in its small airplanes being used to train pilots around the globe. The 25 Cirrus SR20s will be delivered between October 2017 and February 2018.

The deal was announced simultaneously in Knoxville, Tennessee where the Cirrus Aircraft Vision Center is located.

Cirrus SR20 [File Photo]

The plane is equipped with a modernized Lycoming IO-390, 215HP power plant and features a durable all-composite structure with the signature Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), making the SR series one of the safest and most versatile training airplanes available today.

According to CAIGA, in addition to the Lufthansa Aviation Training, Emirates Airlines, US Air Force Academy, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Royal Saudi Air Force, French Air Force, Aerosim Flight Academy, Western Michigan University, Southern Utah University, and Saint Louis University's Parks College of Engineering, Aviation & Technology are also Cirrus Aircraft flight training center costumers.

Cirrus Aircraft "is proud to be (Lufthansa's) partner in producing world-class airline pilots for years to come," said Todd Simmons, president of customer experience. "Today's forward-thinking airlines and pilot training programs are realizing the immediate benefits of teaching and learning in the most effective equipment available uniquely from Cirrus," he continued in the press statement.

"Those benefits are amplified in the airline pilot training environment as the Cirrus SR series solution offers competitive advantages of advanced navigation and safety systems similar to the systems these new pilots will use in the airlines' larger aircraft," Simmons added.