Henan flaps wings for global aviation simulator edge

A brand new set of B737-800 aviation simulation equipment rolled off the final assembly line in Zhengzhou, Henan province this week, and the equipment was then transported to Tanzania, indicating China's first export of large-scale aviation simulators.

Completed at the aviation manufacturing industrial park of Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Co Ltd, the simulators are for the National Institute of Transport of Tanzania to help train professionals for the local transportation sector.

Xi'an Feiyu Aviation Simulation Technology Co Ltd, an aviation simulator manufacturer settled in the industrial park, has been responsible for the manufacturing of the equipment and delivered the set of cabin training equipment of the B737-800 which is worth nearly 50 million yuan ($7.5 million).

The set includes a dynamic training cabin, an emergency evacuation training cabin, a firefighting training cabin, an aquatic trainer and a hatch trainer. It is estimated that about 3,000 people can be trained and retrained annually with the equipment.

"Last year, Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment increased its investment in Xi'an Feiyu, which has been providing strong support to the development of the company. We are glad to see that the equipment was exported from Henan," said Hu Zhigang, general manager of Xi'an Feiyu.

In the latter half of this year, Feiyu said it plans to send technical staff members to Tanzania to install and debug the simulation equipment. Tanzania is a country involved in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

Mbelwa Kairuki, Tanzanian ambassador to China, said the movement serves as a true portrayal of China-Africa friendly exchanges and sincere cooperation.

The aviation industrial park in Henan, which began construction in February, has seen the first phase of factories complete construction in four months. With an investment of 1 billion yuan, the first phase of plants can manufacture more than 50 sets of simulators annually, including cabin simulators, firefighting simulators and cabin service training simulators.

The plants will also be able to manufacture five to eight aircraft maintenance simulators and 10 to 13 sets of trainers annually. The annual output value of the first-phase project is expected to reach 2.5 billion yuan. The second phase of plants requires an investment of another 1 billion yuan, according to Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment.

From 2018 to 2021, China mainly exported spare parts for aircraft, automatic adjustment and control instruments and equipment, and the export of large-scale aviation simulation equipment shows significant growth potential, according to the General Administration of Customs.

The brand influence of the Henan aviation manufacturing sector is expected to grow continuously. In the future, more aviation simulation equipment manufactured in Henan is expected to be exported, and more foreign pilots and flight assistants will learn related professional skills with the equipment, said Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment.

"We will focus on growing the business in the aviation industry, strengthening cooperation and exchanges in research and development with other industry players, and striving to build ourselves into a leading aviation service provider," said Zhang Mingchao, president of Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment.