Gatwick is being reinforced as the worldwide centre for the commercial pilot training operations of L3 Technologies with a $100 million plus investment.
The $100m will go into L3’s soon-to-open London Training Centre to meet increasing airline customer demand and to help address the worldwide shortage of commercial pilots.
“We are excited to be making this commitment to L3’s operations and presence in the UK,” said Christopher E. Kubasik, L3’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, talking at the opening of the Farnborough International Airshow today.
“In particular, this investment reflects our confidence in the growth and opportunities available in the commercial aviation sector and the need to train new airline pilots across the world.”
Demand at the new facility has been strong, according to L3, with many customers already confirmed to start training at the London Training Centre when it opens in the first quarter of 2019. These include easyJet, WOW air, Norwegian and TUI. The facility will also support L3 Airline Academy cadet training programmes.
In addition, the London Training Centre will house a production facility capable of manufacturing 30 Full Flight Simulators (FFS) per year.
When fully operational, the London Training Centre will include eight L3 RealitySeven FFS, four high-fidelity L3 Flight Training Devices, eight Flat Panel Trainers, eight classrooms and briefing rooms, as well as the production facility. In total, the facility will be home to more than 350 jobs.
Headquartered in New York City, USA, L3 Technologies employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide and is a provider of a broad range of communication, electronic and sensor systems used on military, homeland security and commercial platforms.
