TACA Airlines selects the Mechtronix A320 FFS X
Transcription
TACA Airlines selects the Mechtronix A320 FFS X
Case Study: TACA Airlines TACA’s base is San Salvador International Airport in El Salvador with additional hubs in Costa Rica and Peru and it operates a fleet totaling 30 Airbus 319, 320 and 321 aircraft and nine Embraer 190s, with another two planned to be in service by the end of 2011. It employs 456 pilots and serves 46 destinations across 22 countries but only recently did the airline decide to move its pilot training in house with the purchase of a Mechtronix FFS-X full-flight simulator which became operational in January 2010. Armando Portillo is TACA’s Flight Training Manager and the first question is the usual one. There’s a lot of options out there. Why did TACA choose Mechtronix? “Mechtronix has already become part of the industry,” he says, “and the process we chose was to look to the well known names. The price had to be competitive of course, but we also looked at reliability, customer support and the package itself, the possibility to change to different engines and so on. But what of the technology? Mechtronix built much of its reputation via the company’s innovative approach to the technology of simulation, so was this any factor in the decision making process? “We noticed the innovation, certainly,” says Portillo, “we could see it was what had brought down the prices.” Did you know that before you started looking or TACA Airlines is the Central American was it something you discovered during the carrier twice recognized by Skytrax, one of evaluation? “No, we didn’t know at the time,” the most respected world-wide passenger Portillo says, but this is the kind of information that arrives by simple word of mouth. Portillo airline surveys as the Best Airline for talks about the visiting expert who was giving Central America and the Caribbean, and a QTG evaluation course to TACA, who in a for its overall excellence of service. conversation described Mechtronix as a ‘lead changing agent in the industry because of the pioneering use of synthetic instruments in place of original equipment aircraft hardware. “We know the sim must perform like the aircraft,” says Portillo, “that’s a given, but the way Mechtronix was using synthetic parts had to reduce the cost, both of purchase and operation. The technicians who look after the machine can be IT technicians rather than Avionics Engineers.” “Other manufacturers have now invested in the same technology,” Portillo adds, “…and it has brought the prices down everywhere, but because they (Mechtronix) were a key changing agent, they clearly had a lead in the market with the synthetic equipment and they will have more experience in that kind of technology, that kind of solution. That knowledge gave us more confidence… Quality of the product is expected at this level,” concludes Portillo, “but maintenance costs and a complete customer support package was.” TACA’s FFS X™ A320 undergoing test at Mechtronix factory. www.mwc.mechtronix.com “We had a lot of feedback on the technical side,” Portillo continues, “but we didn’t have a lot of experience as simulator operators, so we worked with SENASA (Sociedad Estatal para las Enseñanzas Aeronaúticas, a Spanish Aerospace training organization which is based in Madrid) to understand more about simulator operation and with AESA (Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea, the Spanish Aviation Authority) for simulator qualification. Portillo’s personal view however, is that customer support remains the most important thing. “You are taking on the simulator manufacturer as an operational partner. Both of us must have an interest in getting the operation right.” It begins to sound as if TACA had made up its mind before the tendering process but Portillo says not. He says it was more a question of shortening the list before making the final choice, “once we had a short list,” Portillo continues, “we simply put it out to tender. All the players were based in a hotel and the deal was that they had to negotiate during that time. Then it came down to two out of four and the deal had to be done and signed there and then. I think our management wanted to avoid a Dutch auction which might have dragged on…” All of which makes it sound like a very brief interlude. “No, it took several years to get to that point of negotiating at the hotel,” says Portillo, But if the process took several years, what was it that finally led TACA to go that route, to do its own training ? “You reach a certain point when the airline has grown to a size where it just makes sense,” explains Portillo. “A straightforward numbers thing is certainly part of it. Most of these decisions are taken according to a strong financial analysis, the numbers have to make sense . But you have to know that the time is right in order to present the numbers to senior management as well.” Did the financing play any part in the decision? “Mechtronix did help with the financing and we really appreciated that. It was the height of the financial crisis and they were very pro-active. Very helpful. In the end we were able to consolidate our own affairs and we arrived at the best solution. You mention that you worked with the Spanish authorities rather than the American FAA which is a great deal closer. Was that because of the language ? Not Really,” says Portillo. “We looked for European JAA (Joint Aviation Authority) standards because our local Authorities rely on them as a guideline for local regulations.” Surely though, the AAC (Autorida Aviacion Civil, the El Slvador Aviation Authority) are the people who have to approve the device, and they must be affiliated to the FAA ? “The El Salvador authorities are the main ones, yes,” adds Portillo, “but AAC regulations are following EASA standard. In addition, there were no regulations existing for simulator and simulator operator qualifications and therefore, we fully cooperated in the AAC decision to work with AESA and SENASA to make sure the simulator qualification happened in an efficient and smooth way to both the operator and the regulator.” How easy was it to get the machine accepted, how quickly did that happen? “Approval and certification took about a week and it was smooth but obviously it took a great deal longer to prepare everything. Mechtronix were a big part of that and we couldn’t have done it without them. We gained level ‘D’ approval which is the highest level for a Full Flight Simulator. Has the simulator made the difference you expected to TACAs training, and to the business? “Before we bought the Full Flight simulator we had to send our pilots all over the world for training. Wherever there was simulator availability, all of our synthetic training aids had to be out-sourced, so it has made a big difference. Technically, we are now very happy and the Mechtronix simulator has brought the results on the business case originally presented to upper management and its consequent expectations. We have been able to reduce our training budget by 40% and we have also integrated the simulator into the operational budget as well. That means a pilot can fly a route to El Salvador as part of his job, do the training and then fly back as part of his job. That has been an operational bonus.” Mechtronix FFS X™ A320 cockpit interior And have you been able to sell hours on the machine to other organizations? “Yes. At the moment we have 63% utilization so we have spare capacity and we still need to sell a few more hours. Before we had the simulator we were sending pilots to wherever a sim was available, Orlando, Canada, Miami, even to Amsterdam, so our power to negotiate was limited. The time to buy was definitely right and we know it was the best decision. Overall, how has it been for you ? “You mean the Mechtronix experience… It’s been pretty good overall. There are still issues of course and we sometimes get the impression that Mechtronix is a very laid-back company… but we have had 98% availability with only 2% down time for corrective maintenance. Would you buy another simulator from Mechtronix? “We’d certainly consider them. We have a bit more experience now, so we might be a bit more thorough with the contract, but overall, yes, we are happy with it. I think it is very good that Mechtronix is still driven by very innovative people.” By Mark Hales [email protected] Factoids > 1931 Lowell Yerex, a New Zealand native, established TACA in Honduras with one single engine plane. > Extending their reach, by the 1940s By the 1940’s, TACA had an route extensive routethat TACA had an extensive network network that almosttoday’s. mirrors today’s almost mirror’s © Mechtronix Systems Inc. November 2010 Interview date: October 2010 Contact Mechtronix for more information: [email protected] > Accepting the challenge TACA combined 5 airlines into one: AVIATECA, LASCA, NICA and TACA. > Today TACA continues its sustainable expansion in the Latin American region. Roberto Kriete, President and CEO, TACA Airlines.