Hyderabad, Oct 16 (IANS) At a time when the civil aviation market in India faces a severe downturn, the diversified Bird Group has expanded its presence in the flight training market by inking a deal with leading simulator manufacturer Alsim to offer its products in this country and the SAARC region.Bird Group executive director Ankur Bhatia and Christine Douguet, export sales manager of France-based Alsim Simulateurs Company inked the deal Thursday at the ongoing India Aviation 2008 international air show here.

“ALSIM’s state-of-the-art technology allows instructors to reconfigure FTDs (flight training devices) for different aircraft types and gives flying schools more training options and higher profit margins,” a Bird Group statement said.

The FTDs serve the needs of flight schools, airlines, military organizations and corporate flight departments in over 22 countries and are compliant with FAA and other international regulations, the statement added.

Commenting on the partnership, Bhatia said: “As a successful business conglomerate, Bird Group has been a forerunner in the travel, tourism and aviation space for almost four decades with a touch point in every vertical of the industry.

“Our partnership with Alsim adds a new dimension to our proposition empowering us to offer state-of-the-art simulator equipment to leading flight schools and aviation businesses in the country,” Bhatia added.

“The flight training industry in India is growing at a rapid pace with increased investments in aviation infrastructure as well as strong support from the government,” Bhatia said, adding that the threatened slowdown would not affect this niche sector.

“We are delighted to partner with Bird for the Indian subcontinent as we believe this region is among the fastest developing markets for training equipment,” Douguet said.

“We have seen extraordinary success in other emerging markets and we would like to replicate the same in this market by partnering with a strategic local player such as Bird Group,” Douguet added.

With over 40 years of experience and more than 40 offices supported by over 3,500 well trained staff and an impressive clientele of over 500 top corporates, Bird Group is one of the largest and most diversified entities within the industry in the Indian subcontinent.

Together, the various companies within the group generate direct revenue in excess of $100 million.