MOSCOW - Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced it will expand flight and maintenance training in Russia with a new training campus, set to open in 2015, located at the Skolkovo Innovation Center in Moscow. Boeing is working with the Russian private investment firm, Industrial Investors Group and their subsidiary Transas on the project. 

Sherry Carbary, vice president, Boeing Flight Services, said: "We are bringing Boeing's flight and maintenance training closer to our Russian customers, giving them the world-class support they need to successfully operate and maintain their fleets.

"Airlines in the region will benefit from a technologically advanced training campus staffed by the industry's best qualified and most experienced pilots and instructors."

Initial capability will include flight, maintenance and specialty training. Local maintenance training will be available across the spectrum of Boeing aircraft currently in operation, and flight training capability will include locally based instructors. 

Nikholay Lebedev, president, Transas Group, added: "We are delighted to become technology partners in this unique project.

"We strongly appreciate that our flight simulation technologies have become part of this international project, aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of flight crew training in Russia—a sign of confidence in our products that we are proud of."             

The facility will open with four simulator bays, featuring three Next-Generation 737 full-flight simulators and one 777 full-flight simulator. Two of the simulators will be built by Transas, the training and research campus is scheduled for spring 2014, with training beginning in mid-2015.

Sergey Kravchenko, president of Boeing Russia and CIS, added: "We are honored to be a leading partner of Russian aerospace industry for 20 years," "The Flight Services Training Center is another testament to our mutually beneficial partnership strategy."

The Boeing 2013 Pilot & Technician Outlook, projects that the Commonwealth of Independent States, including Russia, will require 15,200 new commercial airline pilots and 18,000 new technicians over the next two decades, supporting 1,530 new commercial airplanes by 2032.

In November, a training facility was launched by Boeing Flight Services in Korea, while  earlier in August, Miami became the hub for pro forma flight training in the America, including 787 training, after the placement of additional flight simulators from Seattle.

Three new simulators were also announced for the global training network in 2013: a third 787 full-flight simulator in London, and additional 777 and Next-Generation 737 simulators in Singapore.