The Airbus Flight Academy Europe can train up to 200 pilot cadets at one time.
Airbus recently opened a new pilot-training campus, Airbus Flight Academy in South-west France. The facility is about 4.7 hectares and includes a new building of approx. 3200m² which will be dedicated to the training of aspiring pilots with 14 classrooms and briefing rooms, a simulator hall, an auditorium and a restaurant. The facility can train about 200 pilots at a time. It is the first flight school in Europe to deliver the Airbus Pilot Cadet Training Programme. Besides, the campus is ISO 14001 certified in 2021.
By opening this facility Airbus once again proves that they are committed to helping the aviation industry build a skilled workforce for the future. As per the predictions, pilot demand is expected to shoot up to 550,000 over the next 20 years. Airbus is ensuring the commercial aircraft industry is ready for air traffic recovery in the 2023-2025 timeframe and the years beyond.
In a milestone achievement, Volotea, a Barcelona based airline, will recruit eleven of Airbus’ newly graduated pilot cadets. This achievement is an endorsement of the quality of the Airbus Ab-Initio Training Programme which equips cadets with the skills and mindset required to become an “operationally-ready pilot” focusing on the all-important development of key pilot technical and behavioural competencies. Currently, in the final stages of their pilot training, the Airbus cadets will be joining Volotea and flying as commercial airline pilots from April-May this year.
Carlos Muñoz, CEO of Volotea said, “This is a very important day for Volotea, as we are taking cadets directly from the Airbus Flight Academy Europe for the first time. We’re all very excited by it as we know the programme quality is of a very high standard, adapting perfectly to Volotea´s training philosophy. Our company keeps on growing year after year our Airbus fleet, and we’re going to be needing many more pilots. We certainly hope this is the beginning of a very successful long-term partnership with the Airbus Flight Academy benefiting many young pilots.”
Focussing on sustainability, the new campus will work towards reducing CO2 emissions of its training aircraft fleet -an order for the more fuel-efficient, quieter Elixir light aircraft is ongoing to complement the current Cirrus fleet, as well as ensuring a decarbonised environmental footprint in terms of its physical sites and supply chain.
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The Airbus Pilot Cadet Training Programme is open to high school graduates over 18 years old worldwide. Candidates will undergo online and on-site screening tests before being eligible for training which will include 750+ hours of ground school, plus 200 hours of practical (flight and simulator) training.
