Saudi Arabia's National Aviation Academy (Tatayaran) said it has reached an agreement with the coalition of BAE SDT, the local unit of British multinational security and aerospace company BAE Systems, and Turkey's first independent simulator flight training centre IFTC to establish a flight simulator training centre in Riyadh.

Announcing the deal, Tatayaran said it will be the first centre to provide simulator training in the region outside the airlines. The MoU keeps pace with the Saudi Vision 2030 and help localise the industry, in order to enhance the Saudi Arabia’s economic position to become a hub for high-tech industries and services, said Tatayaran officials at the signing ceremony held on the sidelines of Farnborough International Airshow.

The development of the new simulator flight training unit is an extension of the quality programmes offered by the academy. Once operational, it will provide training to Saudi students on Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 flight simulators in the first stage.