04:16 PM EDT, 06/20/2024 (MT Newswires) -- CAE (CAE.TO) Thursday inaugurated its first Gulfstream-dedicated business aviation training center, which will be a key component to training more pilots and maintenance technicians over the coming decades.

Located near Gulfstream Aerospace headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, the new center has a capacity for up to four full-flight simulators (FFS). The first, a Gulfstream G550 FFS, began operating last January, and the second, a Gulfstream G280 FFS, will be ready for training in July.

The maintenance training program, which will include state-of-the-art virtual reality, will be offered on Gulfstream G280, G650, and G500/G600 business jets. The Savannah facility is CAE's fifth business aviation training center in the United States.

"The inauguration of the CAE Savannah training center is a significant milestone in terms of the advanced training and customer experience we offer to Gulfstream operators, making it more convenient than ever for their pilots and maintenance technicians to train with CAE," said Marc Parent, CAE's chief executive, in a statement. "CAE Savannah is a showcase for innovation. Virtual reality, for example, will be used in both the theoretical and practical elements of our maintenance training program. CAE Rise will also be used on all simulators, empowering instructors with technology that delivers insights and data to enrich simulator training for pilots."

CAE now has five centers dedicated to business aviation training in the U.S. in New Jersey, Nevada, Texas, Florida, Georgia, as well as its center in Montreal, to round out its North American presence.

The company's shares closed up $0.40 to $26.09 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.