AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that it will be opening a new AgustaWestland Training Academy (AWTA) in Malaysia in January 2012, expanding the range and number of training courses available for pilots and technicians in the region. The Training Academy will be located at Kuala Lumpur’s Subang – Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport and is part of AgustaWestland’s continued investment programme in its subsidiary AgustaWestland Malaysia Sdn Bhd.  It is also planned that from 2013 an AW139 Full Flight Simulator (FFS) will be available in Malaysia, the first to be located in Asia. Sited in Kuala Lumpur, this new FFS will be a major asset supporting the AWTA in delivering a high standard of training to operators in the region.

John Ponsonby, Senior Vice President Training, AgustaWestland said “With our growing business in South East Asia we are delighted to be able to offer training courses for our customers much closer to where their operations are based. This is just the start of what we believe will become a major regional training centre for AgustaWestland.”

Vincenzo Alaimo, Managing Director, AgustaWestland Malaysia Sdn Bhd, added “We are delighted that the Training Academy, located at AgustaWestland Malaysia headquarters, will be opening in January to provide training for our expanding customer base in the region.”

The AWTA Malaysia will offer a range of courses for the AW109 Power, GrandNew and AW139 helicopters initially and expects to expand this to cover new types such as the AW169 and AW189 in the future. In 2012 over 20 courses will be available including type rating ground courses, general familiarization type training courses and airframe maintenance type training courses. Additionally an AgustaWestland pilot instructor will be available to provide flight transition courses, recurrent training and proficiency checks both at Subang Airport and at customer’s own bases.

In early 2012 the training courses available at AWTA Malaysia will be listed on the AgustaWestland website www.agustawestland.com with the ability to register online.

AgustaWestland Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of AgustaWestland, continues to play a major role in the Malaysian helicopter market expanding its presence and increasing its capabilities through a continued programme of investment. Located at Kuala Lumpur’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, AgustaWestland Malaysia’s regional maintenance and support centre is a Malaysian DCA approved maintenance and repair organization. AgustaWestland Malaysia Sdn Bhd provides local support and training for the growing fleet of AgustaWestland customers in the region.