Kingfisher Airlines Awards Thales UK $24m Contract for Three Full Flight Simulators

Farnborough, United Kingdom , 2006-07-19

Kingfisher Airlines India’s fastest growing airline and the first Indian carrier to offer Full Service at True Value today in a contract valued at over $24 million signed Thales UK for the supply of three new Full Flight Simulators (FFS).

Thales UK will be providing two A320 Full Flight Simulators and one ATR Full Flight Simulator. The contract also includes provision of a Thales A320 maintenance/flight training device (MFTD) and a turnkey maintenance support package.

All the equipment to be supplied will be from the Thales Formation family, a product range that covers all civil aviation crew training from desktop to FFS. Formation provides customers with a suite of products based on the same PC/Windows NT real time architecture allowing for effective training syllabi across multiple devises.

Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman & CEO, Kingfisher Airlines, said: “Kingfisher Airlines is the fastest growing airline in India and I have personally ensured that every Kingfisher Airlines aircraft meets the international standards in terms of safety. I am proud of our brand new fleet incorporating the latest technology available. The addition to our stringent crew training regime provided by Thales equipment, which I am personally convinced is the best available, is our way of ensuring our commitment to customer safety.”

Justin Walker, Managing Director of the Thales UK services business, said: “With the growth of Kingfisher Airlines and aviation in the Indian subcontinent in general, we are particularly proud to have been selected by such a discerning customer in a highly competitive market.

Kingfisher Airlines currently operates a fleet of 14 brand new aircraft from the Airbus family and ATR and connects 17 key business and leisure destinations with 86 flights daily across India. Kingfisher Airlines is the first Indian carrier to have placed an order for five Airbus A380s, five A350s, five A340s and five A330s. The deliveries of A330s are expected to begin in 2007, of A340s in 2008 while the A380s and A350s arrive in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

About Kingfisher Airlines

Kingfisher Airlines is India's first and only private airline to receive the prestigious, 'Best New Airline of the Year' award in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East region from Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA). Kingfisher Airlines has also been voted as the 3rd Most Successful Brand Launch of the Year 2005, in the annual Brand Derby Survey conducted by India’s leading business daily-Business Standard. In another Survey conducted by agencyfaqs.com and Brand Reporter, Kingfisher was voted as the 7th Buzziest Brand of 2005 amongst 2000 leading national and international brands. More recently, Kingfisher Airlines has bagged the “Service Excellence for a New Airline” award from Skytrax, a UK based specialist global air transport advisor.

The latest addition to the list of laurels is the “Best New Domestic Airline for Excellent Services and Cuisine” award from Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA), the biggest travel writers’ organization, representing members from 70 countries across the globe, that conducts independent annual surveys across various industries related with Travel and Tourism in order to select the best in each category. Kingfisher Airlines commenced operations on May 9th, 2005 with a brand new fleet of aircraft. Kingfisher Airlines offers Full Service at True Value and promises an unparalleled experience to the Indian air traveller. On offer are extra-wide seats and spacious leg room, delicious gourmet meals, international-class cabin crew and a whole host of comforts and delights. Kingfisher Airlines also facilitates doorstep delivery of tickets on guest request. Kingfisher Airlines has further raised the bar by introducing the Indian business traveller to a premium product- Kingfisher First, the finest experience in the Indian skies. For more information on Kingfisher Airlines log on to www.flykingfisher.com
Fly the Good Times with Kingfisher Airlines.

About Thales

Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, serving defence, aerospace and security markets worldwide, supported by a comprehensive services offering. The group’s civil and military businesses develop in parallel to serve a single objective: the security of people, property and nations. Leveraging a global network of high-level researchers, Thales offers a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and deploy critical information systems. Thales employs 60,000 people in 50 countries and generated revenues of € 10.3 billion in 2005, with a record order book of over € 20 billion.

Thales UK's activities encompass defence, aerospace, security and services. Thales employs 9,000 staff in the UK and 60,000 people in 50 countries. In 2005, Thales UK's revenues were over £1bn.

The Services division provides a global offer including training and simulation, integration solutions, outsourcing and consulting for the private sector and the public sector (civil administration and defence). The Services employs 10,000 people throughout the world and generated revenues of 1.5 billion euros in 2005.

Contact

Malini Nair, Manager PR, Kingfisher Airlines, + 91 93242 39730
[email protected]