+VIDEO Airbus has launched the Mobile Airbus Training experience (MATe) Suite, a subscription-based service platform with a 3D interactive virtual cockpit environment for pilot recurrent and initial type training.

Airbus developed MATe with portability and compatibility in mind and works on any device. It builds on the Airbus Cockpit Experience (ACE) Trainer, a virtual and interactive cockpit simulator.

Pilots can use it to train whenever and wherever they want, with instructors able to monitor and follow their progress via the latest cloud technology.

Among its claimed benefits are better knowledge retention and significant time savings over higher level training devices and simulators.

Agreements have been signed with various airline customers already, including Air Malt and India’s largest passenger airline, IndiGo.

Capt Ashim Mittra, VP of Flight Operations at IndiGo, said, “MATe is the future of ground training. It has been a very useful enabling tool for our instructors to train our pilots. Individual tracking and cloud based app are the USPs.

“We are glad to have chosen MATe, which is a technologically advanced training solution, from Airbus. It fits synergistically with our lean clean flying machine philosophy and allows us to continue providing an on-time, affordable and hassle-free flying experience to our customers.”

The MATe Suite is available as a standard package with optional modules and services that can be customized according to airlines’ needs. It’s currently available for the A320 family, and will be available for both the A330 and A350 by early 2022.