Airbus Inaugurates New Campus to Train Pilots of Tomorrow

• Volotea becomes first commercial airline to recruit Airbus pilot cadets

• Airbus enlarges ab-initio training base to train up to 200 students at once

Airbus Flight Academy Europe (AFAE), a subsidiary of Airbus, has inaugurated a new campus in Angoulême, South-West France. During the ceremony, Airbus confirmed that Volotea, the Barcelona-based airline, is the first to recruit its Airbus pilot cadets.

Volotea has recruited 11 of Airbus’ newly graduated pilot cadets from Airbus’ Ab-Initio Training Programme, which opened its doors in 2019. The programme equips cadets with the skills and mindset required to become an “operationally-ready pilot” focusing on the 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.

“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,” said Carlos Muñoz, CEO Volotea.

The inauguration of the new facility provides AFAE, which is the first flight school to deliver the Airbus Pilot Cadet Training Programme in Europe, with an increased capacity to train up-to 200 pilot cadets at any one time. The site, which spans 4.7 hectares, 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.

In helping to train the pilots of tomorrow, a demand now estimated to be around 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.

The move to a new campus is also the opportunity for AFAE to commit to and align with Airbus’ global approach to sustainability. A first step was the achievement of ISO 14001 certification for the site in 2021. AFAE now turns its efforts to focusing on a reduction of 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.

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.