New 787 training base established in Singapore

New 787 training base established in Singapore

Singaporean media is reporting that Boeing has set up a major training base at the island nation's Changi Airport.

The base will be used to train people in a range of aviation jobs across South East Asia - including pilots, cabin crew and aircraft maintenance staff - to work on its 787 aircraft. The training base is thought to include two full-flight simulation machines, at a cost of between US$15-20 million each.

The two in Singapore will be among only eight in total that exist worldwide. There are two similar pieces of equipment in both Seattle and Tokyo, and one in both London and Shanghai.

The concentration of these simulators in the Far East reflects the booming growth in cabin crew jobs and pilot jobs in the region, as well as the jobs in maintenance that additional aircraft require.

The Boeing 787 is the first passenger jet to be made mostly from composite materials, which the manufacturer said consume less fuel, emit less noise and give out lower emissions than comparable planes. As well as offering staff training, the Singapore base will be the only place in the world apart from Boeing's Seattle headquarters where staff can be trained in the repair of composite materials.