Simulator hours become the binding constraint on regional fleet growth

A single narrowbody added to a regional fleet needs roughly a dozen crews to sustain a full utilisation pattern, and each crew needs simulator time on a device that is already committed. Academies across Southeast Asia and the Gulf report device utilisation in the high eighties, which leaves little room for an operator that decides late. Several carriers are now buying simulator time years ahead as a hedge, which tightens the market further for anyone who has not.