ST ENGINEERING’S AEROSPACE ARM LAUNCHES SECOND MPL PROGRAMME WITH FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT WIN FROM QATAR AIRWAYS

Singapore, 18 June 2013 – Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering) today announced that the commercial pilot training business of its aerospace arm, ST Aerospace Academy (STAA), has been awarded a five-year Multi-crew Pilot Licence (MPL) training contract by Qatar Airways. As a one stop pilot training solutions provider, STAA will undertake the global recruitment and assessment of cadets on behalf of Qatar Airways, as well as customisation of training content for Qatar Airways’ operations. Cadets will undergo STAA’s MPL programme leading to the award of MPL from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, for eventual employment with Qatar Airways as Airbus A320 Type Rated First Officers.

The first batch of 36 cadet pilots is expected to commence training in the third quarter of 2013 and graduate in the first quarter of 2015. The subsequent intakes are expected to be similar or higher, depending on Qatar Airways’ operational requirements.

“We are delighted to award this contract to STAA, to equip our students with the skills they need to become competent, professional pilots with a leading commercial airline. The training will also expose our students to a multi-crew cooperation environment and ensure that they are continuously assessed against competencies. As Qatar Airways continues to expand our international route network, a talented pool of well qualified, dedicated pilots is mandatory to support growth. We are convinced that we have found the right training partner in STAA to help us achieve that.” ~ Captain Suhail Abdul Hameed ISMAEEL, Chief Flight Operations Officer, Qatar Airways

“This contract award from Qatar Airways is a vote of confidence in STAA’s capabilities, and a strong validation of our MPL programme. We are fully committed to support Qatar Airways’ requirement for well qualified pilots, as the airline continues to grow its operations worldwide. In view of the growing pilot demand in the Middle East over the next 20 years, our strong offerings will also serve us well to support customers in this region.” ~ PEH Teng Keng, President, ST Aerospace Academy

Significantly, this is the second MPL programme for STAA, following its successful completion of the Singapore MPL programme in 2011. STAA pioneered the Singapore MPL programme in partnership with Tiger Airways and with support from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

Established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation since 2006, MPL is an alternative pathway to obtaining a licence to pilot aircraft for commercial airlines. Unlike traditional pilot training programmes, the competency-based MPL curriculum, through greater use of simulators, engages cadet pilots in a multi-crew cooperation environment from an early stage and integrates threat and error management in all phases of training.

The STAA MPL programme comprises six months of ground school and 13 months of flying training involving four phases. Phase one is conducted at STAA’s flying school at Ballarat in Victoria, Australia, while phases two to four and ground school are conducted at STAA’s headquarters in Singapore which also houses its simulator training centre.

The STAA MPL curriculum stands out by putting cadets into the Airbus A320 simulator environment right from the start of phase two training. This maximises the students’ exposure to flying in a multi-crew environment as well as to the cockpit environment of the aircraft that they will eventually work in. The syllabus also introduces the Airbus A320 cockpit to students progressively, hence allowing them to fully master the principles and practical handling of aircraft systems before Line Oriented Flight Training.

Apart from MPL programmes, STAA offers Commercial Pilot Licence programmes and advanced pilot training courses. Established in 2007, it operates out of Seletar Airport in Singapore and Ballarat Airport. Customers include both individuals as well as airlines such as Hainan Airlines, JuneYao Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, ShunFeng Airlines, Tiger Airways and Xiamen Airlines.

This contract is not expected to have any material impact on the consolidated net tangible assets per share and earnings per share of ST Engineering for the current financial year.