737 Flight Simulator Creates International Flight Training Opportunities at EIA

June 16, 2015 (Edmonton, AB) – A new flight training simulator for Boeing 737 series aircraft is officially open for business at the Alberta Aerospace Training Centre, thanks to a partnership between Edmonton International Airport (EIA), Canadian North, Canadian Helicopters, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC), and the Government of Alberta. The simulator offers training opportunities for international and regional pilots to learn flight operations and flying characteristics of Boeing 737 aircraft, the world’s most popular airliner.

The flight simulator, located in EIA’s Cargo Village, is the latest component of the Port Alberta initiative, a collaboration led by EEDC and EIA to increase the overall competitiveness and trading volume of the Edmonton Region. Following the launch of the 737 simulator, Canadian Helicopters will also install a helicopter simulator to be housed in the main passenger terminal building of EIA. The helicopter simulator, a Level 7 Airbus Helicopters AS350B2/B3e, is to open in April 2016 and will provide training for the most popular single engine commercial helicopter in North America. These world-class training resources will position the Alberta Aerospace Training Centre at EIA as a hub for flight simulation training.

“The Alberta Aerospace Training Centre, including the Canadian North 737 flight simulator, is a great example of our aerotropolis at work,” said Tom Ruth, President and CEO of Edmonton International Airport. “Businesses in and around the airport are coming together to provide great services to clients, which will benefit the aviation industry as a whole.”

“This is one more step in Edmonton’s growth. Canadian North and Canadian Helicopters are helping to grow our economy with this new service offering. This drives even more confidence in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region,” said Brad Ferguson, President & CEO of EEDC. “We look forward to welcoming crews from around the world to train here.”

Worldwide, simulator-based flight training programs are under pressure due to a lack of training capacity in many regions. Increasingly, international students are coming to Alberta for formal flight training. Expanding advanced simulator capacity in Alberta opens more opportunities for airline operators to access training.

“The opening of the Alberta Aerospace Training Centre at EIA is a major step forward for both Canadian North and Edmonton,” said Steve Hankirk, President of Canadian North. “We will now train our pilots more cost-effectively with our own full-flight simulator for Boeing 737-300, -400 and -500 series aircraft. Further, by offering use of this equipment to other airlines, we’ll be helping to position Edmonton as a leading aerospace training hub, stimulating even more economic activity in the region.”

“We look forward to the installation and opening of the Airbus Helicopters AS350B2/B3e flight training device at EIA next year,” said Don Wall, President and CEO of HNZ Group, parent company of Canadian Helicopters. “We believe that the introduction of this device into our training program will enhance our industry leading safety standards and we expect other operators will also avail of this opportunity. We are pleased to be a founding partner of the Alberta Aerospace Training Centre at EIA, and look forward to future growth in the region.”

These simulators will improve the competitiveness of Alberta operators, create an education and aviation training hub for Alberta, and attract new industry partnerships and investment. Efforts are underway to recruit international pilots looking to train on the 737 simulator, including promotions at the Paris Air Show.

About Canadian North
Canadian North and its founding companies (Canadian Airlines, Pacific Western Airlines, Transair, Nordair) have proudly served Canada’s North with passenger and cargo services for more than 80 years, with scheduled flights to 17 destinations in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, via the southern gateways of Edmonton and Ottawa. Canadian North is also the premier provider of air charter services for large resource sector clients requiring dependable, efficient and economical fly-in/fly-out charter services, as well as charter flights across North America for sports teams, cruise lines and large groups. Canadian North is a subsidiary of NorTerra Inc., which is owned by the Inuvialuit Development Corporation, representing the Inuvialuit of the Western Arctic. For more information please visit www.canadiannorth.com.

About HNZ GROUP INC.
HNZ Group is an international provider of helicopter transportation and related support services with operations in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia and Antarctica. The Corporation operates in excess of 120 helicopters to support offshore and onshore charter activities. Offshore operations worldwide are provided through HNZ Global while onshore charter operations are provided through Canadian Helicopters in Canada and HNZ Global in Asia-Pacific and Antarctica. Clients consist of multinational companies and government agencies including offshore and onshore oil and gas, mineral exploration, military support, hydro and utilities, forest management, construction, air ambulance and search and rescue. In addition to charter services, it provides third-party repair and maintenance services and flight training. HNZ Group is a publically traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: HNZ.A, HNZ.B) and is headquartered near Montreal, Canada employing approximately 700 personnel from 34 locations around the world.

About Edmonton International Airport
Edmonton International Airport is a self-funded, not-for-profit corporation whose mandate is to drive economic prosperity for the Edmonton Region. EIA is Canada’s fastest-growing major airport over the past 10 years, the fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic and the largest major Canadian airport by land area. EIA offers non-stop connections to 60 destinations across Canada, the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. Please visit www.flyeia.com for more information.

About Port Alberta
Port Alberta is a collaboration led by Edmonton Economic Development (EEDC) and the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) to increase the overall competitiveness and wealth of the Edmonton Region by supporting industry growth, expanding trade and investment, and improving how goods and people flow into and through our community. By designating Port Alberta as a FTZ Point, regional, national and international companies will now have faster and more efficient access to markets in Western Canada and beyond. Visit http://portalberta.com/ to participate.

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Media Contact:
Chris Chodan
Communications
t: 780 890 8454
c: 780 700 3596
e: cchodan@flyeia.com
w: www.flyeia.com

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