New Milestones in European Pilot Training

Seven students graduated from the Pilot Academy of the Latvian national airline airBaltic, receiving a commercial pilot license upon completion of the full-time airline transport pilot program. Additionally, the 25th group of 16 students has already begun their professional pilot studies.

Martin Gauss, CEO and President of airBaltic: “We are equally excited to welcome the 25th group of students as they begin their journey with us. Their dedication and passion will play a crucial role in supporting airBaltic’s ambitions to expand our fleet to 100 aircraft in the coming years. The addition of our second Airbus A220 simulator further confirms our commitment to providing advanced training resources, enabling to uphold the highest standards of safety and operational excellence as we continue to grow.”

The graduates represent countries such as Latvia, Lithuania, and Germany, while the new group includes students from Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.

There are 148 active students at the airBaltic Pilot Academy at the moment. Most of them are from the Baltic countries, however, there are students also from other EU countries such as Denmark, Germany, France, Finland, Spain and Italy among others. Overall, more than 10% of airBaltic Pilot Academy students are female. As for now, 131 students, after graduating, have joined airBaltic.

Additionally, to further expand its training capabilities, airBaltic has recently received and installed its second Airbus A220 full flight simulator. This addition will significantly improve the airline's capacity to train and maintain the qualifications of its growing team of pilots, supporting both the expansion of its fleet and the ongoing development of the Pilot Academy.

The new simulator, offering up to 6,000 hours of availability annually with an optimal utilization target of 5,500 to 6,000 hours, will support both recurrent and initial pilot training while ensuring technical maintenance to maintain peak performance. In addition to meeting the needs of airBaltic's expanding fleet, it will enhance the airBaltic Pilot Academy’s advanced training programs, such as the Multi-Crew Cooperation (MCC) course, and provide opportunities to rent training slots to other airlines, maximizing its efficiency and impact.