Market Trends of Asia Pacific Civil Aviation Simulators Industry
Full Flight Simulator (FFS) is Projected to Dominate Market Share During the Forecast Period
A full-flight simulator can replicate the flight parameters of the respective aircraft type. The simulator is mounted on a platform to replicate both the movement and acoustics of a real flight by simulating the acceleration and G-forces acting on the aircraft. Due to these advantages, flight training schools consider FFS to be a better option for training aviation personnel. The opening of new flight schools in the region is anticipated to generate the demand for FFS in the coming future. For instance, in September 2023, Air Astana opened a new Flight Training Centre equipped with modern flight simulators. The Flight Training Centre at Air Astana is equipped with L3Harris’s latest generation flight simulator and is the first Flight Training Centre in Central Asia certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The surge in passenger aircraft procurement in the region has aided the demand for trained pilots, propelling the growth of the full-flight simulator segment.
Also, the training schools are ordering new and advanced full-flight simulators to increase their training capacities. For instance, in February 2023, Gen24 Flybiz, a new flight training company based in India, forged an agreement with Avion for the supply of eight Airbus A320 full-flight simulators; such acquisitions are anticipated to propel the growth of the segment in the forecast period.
China is Expected to Account for a Major Market Share
China has the highest fleet of commercial and business jet aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region. The rapid growth of air passenger traffic, along with an increase in high-net-worth individuals in the country, has aided the procurements of commercial aircraft and business jets. This increasing fleet is generating demand for new cabin crew and pilots in the country, which in turn will generate demand for simulator and flight training devices in the country. As of 2022, the country had more than 40 flight training schools out of the total in the Asia-Pacific.
The country has emphasized new product development and innovation in the domain of flight simulation and training. For instance, in June 2023, China Southern Airlines and Tencent launched China's first completely self-developed full-flight simulator (FFS) visual system. The new FFS (full-flight simulator) is a key piece of equipment used to train civil pilots. The FFS includes the mock cockpit, the motion system, the visual system, the computing system, and the instructor's flight controls. The new visual system can rebuild a city of 2,000 sqm. in 50 hours and build an airport in 3 days. This increases the digital assets production efficiency by over 10 times and the rendering capabilities by over 100 times. New developments such as these are anticipated to propel the growth of the market in China during the forecast period.
