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Tuesday July 11, 5:25 PM
Arroyo to Inaugurate US$15.6 MLN Aviation Academy in ClarkCLARK ZONE, Pampanga, July 11 Asia Pulse - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is set to inaugurate the US$15.6 million Clark Institute of Aviation (CIA) at the Clark Polytechnic here on Thursday. CIA chairman and chief executive officer Mark Pearson said the presence of President Arroyo during the blessing and opening of the aviation institute would be an honour to the firm, which is eager to show its commitment to provide world class aviation education inside the Clark Special Economic Zone.
The institute will train commercial pilots for Airbus 320 aircraft starting September 2006 in Clark Polytechnic, a subsidiary of Clark Development Corporation. Pearson noted that the institute is a member of the world-renowned Alpha Aviation Group from the United Kingdom, and "will be the flagship academy for the group." Alpha Aviation Group is creating a network of identical international aviation training academies that will extend from Europe, though the Middle East and to South East Asia. CDC President Antonio R. Ng said the school will also answer the country's needs for commercial pilots. Earlier, Pearson said the firm would initially infuse US$15.6 million for the early phase of the project and an additional US$12.5 million in its second year of operations following the arrival of more training equipment, including flight simulators, by 2007. The aviation school would have three flight training devices; two fixed-base simulators covering the basic and intermediate phases of flight instruction; the third being an A320 Level D full flight simulator. At the same time, the aviation institute will have a fleet of seven single engine training aircraft to complement the pilot training school in Clark, Pearson said. Pearson said the training academy will be great news not only for the Philippines, but also for all of the airlines in the region that are suffering from acute pilot shortage. Market forecasts indicate that the Asian region alone will require 6,000 new pilots each year for the next 20 years to sustain the forecast growth in the aviation industry. The new course will have at least 18 cadets every month enrolling in a 12 month residential course, increasing to two courses a month in its second year of operations. Pearson chose Clark as site of the aviation academy because of its strategic location within South East Asia combined with its special economic incentives, abundance of skilled, English speaking personnel and cost benefits. (PNA)
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