airBaltic has ordered an Airbus A220 Level D full flight simulator from global aviation training leader CAE.

The new CAE 7000XR Series simulator is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2019.

Martin Gauss, chief executive of airBaltic, said: “Introducing a single fleet type of up to 80 Airbus A220-300 aircraft also means that as an airline we will have to train hundreds of our existing and future pilots.

“A state-of-the-art full-flight simulator located right next to our headquarters will provide much desired training simplicity and cost reductions.

“The new simulator will add to the uniqueness of airBaltic Training. There are only two Airbus A220 simulators in Europe. This will be the newest such simulator in the world,” Gauss added.

The simulator will be based at the airBaltic training facilities in Riga International Airport and it is the first new full flight simulator ever purchased by a Latvian company.

The business plan for its purchase and utilisation has been approved by the airBaltic supervisory board.

“airBaltic is one of the most forward-thinking airlines in Europe, and we are happy to be supporting the airline’s impressive growth with our best-in-class training solutions,’’ said Nick Leontidis, CAE group president, civil aviation training solutions. 

airBaltic serves over 70 destinations from Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, offering the largest variety of destinations and convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East.