The China-based HAITE Group officially opened its aviation training centre worth 73 million USD in Singapore on April 21.

The facility will serve as a training hub for pilots and crew in the aviation industry in the Southeast Asian region.

The six-storey building is equipped with the latest training devices, including Boeing B737-800W and Airbus A320 Series 7000 flight simulators.

HAITE Singapore expects to expand its centre progressively over the next five years to its full seven-bay capacity, which will be capable of providing 50,000 hours of training per year.

It also revealed a new partnership with the Baltic Aviation Academy (BAA) where both parties will collaborate to offer commercial airline courses in Southeast Asia.

HAITE Singapore expects to attract a total of 40 million USD in direct and indirect revenues per annum for the Singapore economy over the next five years. According to data from the country’s Economic Development Board, Singapore’s aerospace industry has grown at an average rate of 10 percent annually and achieved a record output of 6.7 billion USD in 2012.-VNA