Indra will equip the GTA center in Bogota with an Airbus A320 simulator, prepared to train 350 pilots a year

Indra, one of the leading global technology and consulting companies, will equip the new pilot training center that GTA will open in Bogota with a state-of-the-art simulator of the A320 passenger plane prepared to offer 7,000 hours of training and teach 350 pilots each year.

The demand for training in these simulators is so great that they operate virtually non-stop 24 hours a day.

Pilots need to exceed a number of flight hours aboard annually to keep their license. They also take adaptation courses before taking the controls of a real A320. These are essential to train new pilots, a well-paid occupation with very good prospects.

The A320 is one of the best-selling passenger aircraft in the world. It is widely used by the most important airlines, including the Colombian airline Avianca.

The Indra simulator has level D certification, the maximum certification available. This means that one hour of flight on board equals one hour of actual flight in terms of training. The system replicates the behavior of the aircraft with complete realism.

Pilots train in situations impossible to re-create in the air, such as the failure of an engine or an emergency landing. They also practice landings at any airport in the world, in all kinds of weather conditions.

A winning strategy
In January last year, Indra and GTA signed an alliance to strengthen their leadership position in the global simulation and pilot-training market.

The technology firm took a 35% stake in the academy's share capital. This has ensured a sustained demand as a simulator manufacturer and the necessary business visibility in order to plan the improvements to ensure that their systems will always be the most advanced.

At the same time, GTA won the support of a company with a solid global presence, which has offices in more than 40 countries and which is active in 140. This is facilitating its global expansion. In this regard, GTA already covers training in Asia, Europe and now also Latin America through its facilities in Indonesia, Spain and Colombia, all of them equipped with Indra simulators.

Indra is in turn expanding its position as a manufacturer of simulators to also enter the training business. In this way, the size of the potential market that can be accessed is multiplied to 3 billion dollars a year, approximately.