CAE announced it has acquired an equity interest in the China Southern West Australian Flying College (CSWAFC) near Perth, Australia and will manage the pilot training school as part of the CAE Global Academy network. Effective immediately, CSWAFC will operate as a joint venture owned 53% by China Southern Airlines and 47% by CAE.
"This joint venture acquisition is another step towards developing our training network in order to better address the global pilot shortage. As many as 18,000 new pilots will be needed per year over the next 20 years globally and one of the highest demands is expected to be in China," said Marc Parent, CAE's President and CEO.

The China Southern West Australian Flying College is the 11th location for the CAE Global Academy, the world's largest network of ab initio flight training organizations with a capacity of training more than 1,800 pilot cadets annually. The CAE Global Academy also provides training in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.