Emirates Group to spend $135m on new pilot training center, ready by March 2024
Facility will be used to train for flying A350s and 777X aircraft
Dubai: Emirates airline is to have a new pilot training center, for which the Dubai aviation group will spend $135 million. It will have in place 6 full flight simulator bays for future intake of Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X aircraft, set for delivery from 2024.
The 63,318 square feet facility in Dubai is set to open in March 2024. The new building will be adjacent to the existing Emirates Training facilities, which will 'provide a great integration and close proximity to all the other pilot training centres'.
The airline’s newest training college will start training its first batch of A350 pilots by June 2024.
"This $135 million investment to build a new pilot training centre will ensure Emirates' readiness to commence its pilot training ahead of the delivery of its new aircraft fleet starting from 2024," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group.
"The building will be equipped with the latest, technologically advanced simulators to provide the best training for pilots, while using solar power to reduce energy consumption."
Pilot recruitment drive
In 2022-22, Emirates had gotten off on a pilot recruitment drive much earlier than the rest of the airline industry did after the Covid created havoc. The Dubai airline is on track to go back into 100 per cent operational mode in the current financial year.
With new aircraft to be delivered, especially long-haul ones such as the 777X and A350, Emirates is bringing its pilot training program up to speed.
Top-notch training
At the new facility, pilot-trainees will benefit from being able to set up and configure the cockpit environment using bespoke devices as part of the training module and upload the data to the Full Flight Simulator (FFS) prior to commencing their training session. This 'first-of-its-kind' concept is designed to shorten the trainee’s preparatory time inside the simulator, help them maintain focus and take full advantage of the training duration.