The pandemic has had a strong impact on airlines. Since the lifting of the health restrictions, they have to face another problem: despite a high demand, they have to cancel flights due to the lack of personnel. Lufthansa has found a solution for its cabin crews: Virtual Aviation Training software from the Frankfurt-based NMY studio, which enables it to train 20,000 flight attendants per year. This virtual reality training designed by NMY for Lufthansa was certified by the German Federal Aviation Office (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, LBA) last January.

The Covid-19 crisis has had repercussions on the entire airline industry, with aircraft deliveries being delayed. Lufthansa, for example, has just announced that it will reactivate its Airbus 380 fleet by the summer of 2023, as the Boeing 777-9s it has ordered will not be available until 2025. Training cabin crew with VR is therefore an obvious advantage for the company since no aircraft is mobilized and the presence of trainers is not necessary, which represents an annual saving of several million euros.

The NMY studio

NMY, the Mixed Reality Studio, was founded in 2007. Sebastian Demmerle (CEO) and Peter Eschler (CTO) established the core competence for graphic data processing. It was at the studio that the first real-time 3D touch applications were created, when smartphones did not yet exist. Today, the company provides virtual and augmented reality applications, digital tools for research and development, and virtual training for global enterprises. Its virtual applications are aimed at the fields of health and education, the automotive and aeronautical industries, as well as the cultural sector and art education programs.

Lufthansa Aviation Training and NMY have been working for several years on this virtual training project.

Virtual Reality Training

The inspection of the VR training by the LBA was an essential but very long step, NMY accompanied Lufthansa Aviation Training throughout the certification process of the training software. Since last January, Lufthansa Aviation Training has benefited from the support of the LBA for the training and qualification of flight attendants in virtual reality. The VR modules are an integral part of the training and teach safety procedures before departure.

The training takes place in two centers, one in Frankfurt and one in Munich. In each of them, there are 9 VR booths where participants can be guided, moderated and motivated via a control center using several video screens and a live chat.

3D Modeling

The aircraft was scanned in a complex process and translated into a 3D model. The basis can be adapted to each of the Lufthansa aircraft.

Upon arrival, the trainees put on a VR headset, go into one of the cabins where, accompanied by a virtual assistant, “VIA”, they will perform the various tasks offered. The training is controlled by means of a smart watch and an interactive interface with VIA.

It is possible to do updates or maintenance work because the VR equipment has been networked via a backend.

Translated from La Lufthansa s’appuie sur le logiciel « Virtual Aviation Training » de NMY pour former ses équipes de cabine