A significant milestone for flight training in Austria: Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT) commissioned a new Full Flight Simulator (FFS) for the Boeing 30-2025 Dreamliner in Vienna on January 787, 9. The state-of-the-art simulator is the first long-haul simulator at the Vienna location and is intended to support Austrian Airlines' pilot training with the latest technology. The commissioning of the simulator marks an important step in the further development of the Lufthansa Group's flight training and demonstrates the close cooperation between LAT and the Austrian airline.
The new CAE 7000XR simulator meets the highest certification standards (Level D) and offers a realistic replica of the Boeing 787-9. This technology enables all flight conditions of the long-haul aircraft to be reproduced and trained in a practical manner. The simulator enables pilots of Austrian Airlines, as well as other LAT customers, to carry out realistic training sessions that cover all the necessary scenarios of long-haul flights.
"The commissioning of the 787 Full Flight Simulator at Vienna Airport is a significant step towards enabling Austrian Airlines to offer training at the highest level at its home base," explained Matthias Spohr, Managing Director of Lufthansa Aviation Training, during the opening ceremony. "With this expansion in the field of pilot training, we are continuing our strategic approach of optimally responding to the needs of our customers and offering them first-class training opportunities."
Planning and selection of the simulator
Planning for the new long-haul simulator began in mid-2023. In close cooperation between Lufthansa Aviation Training and Austrian Airlines, the first step was to select a suitable manufacturer. After an intensive evaluation phase, the choice fell on the Canadian simulator manufacturer CAE, which offered the latest standards in simulator technology with the 7000XR model. The process of adapting the simulator to the specific requirements of Austrian Airlines began in autumn 2023.
The acceptance process of the simulator began in July 2024 in Montreal, where LAT technicians and an Austrian Airlines pilot intensively tested the simulator. Extensive tests were carried out in the following months and the final acceptance took place between September and December 2024. The installation of the simulator in Vienna took place in the same period, followed by a series of test flights to ensure functionality.
Benefits for pilot training and mission planning
The new simulator will not only optimize the training of new pilots on the Boeing 787-9, but will also increase efficiency in ongoing operations. "For us as Austrian Airlines, the simulator at the Vienna location brings enormous advantages," explained Francesco Sciortino, COO of Austrian Airlines. "The simulator enables us to design our training processes flexibly and at the same time reduces the complexity of the training. Our pilots no longer have to travel to other simulator locations to complete their training units. This not only saves time, but also costs."
The Boeing 787-9 has been part of Austrian Airlines' long-haul fleet since June 2024, and by the end of 2028, a further nine Dreamliners are to replace the Boeing 777 and 767 aircraft currently in use. The new simulator will help to significantly reduce training costs for the airline's pilots while also shortening training times for crews.
Optimization of deployment planning and travel times
In addition to the advantages for pilot training, the new simulator also offers operational advantages. The location in Vienna means that the cockpit crews' deployment times can be planned more efficiently. Austrian Airlines pilots will be able to complete training flights without long travel times, which not only optimizes deployment planning but also reduces personnel costs.
"With this simulator, we can not only further increase the efficiency of our training, but also significantly improve the deployment planning for our crews. In the long term, this will help to reduce overall operating costs," Sciortino continued. The Vienna site, which is now equipped with one of the most modern long-haul simulators, will thus become an even more central point in Austrian Airlines' training strategy.
opening ceremony and official inauguration
On January 30, 2025, the simulator was officially inaugurated at the Lufthansa Aviation Training training center in Vienna. In addition to representatives from LAT and Austrian Airlines, numerous guests from the aviation industry were present at the opening ceremony. Matthias Spohr and Francesco Sciortino gave the opening speeches and emphasized the importance of the project for the quality of training and the efficiency of flight operations.
In future, the new simulator will not only be used to train Austrian Airlines' own pilots, but will also be available to other Lufthansa Aviation Training customers who operate long-haul flights with the Boeing 787-9. This will further strengthen the Vienna location as an important training location in the Lufthansa Group and for the international aviation industry.
Future prospects and further developments
The expansion of the simulator fleet is part of Lufthansa Aviation Training's long-term strategy to continuously improve training resources and adapt them to the latest technological developments. In the coming years, further investments in modern simulators and training systems are expected to meet the growing demands of global air traffic.
The new Boeing 787-9 simulator in Vienna represents an important building block in this development and contributes to the high quality and efficiency of pilot training, which is of crucial importance not only for Austrian Airlines but also for the entire Lufthansa Group.
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