Look: A trip to the Emirates Flight Training Academy in Dubai

Emirates launched Emirates Flight Training Academy in 2017 to train UAE nationals and international students to become pilots. All 36 classrooms are equipped with two 86” touchscreens, running bespoke training software created for EFTA by Boeing.

EFTA’s 6 EASA-approved, full-motion flight simulators are a first of their kind in the global aviation industry and play a crucial role in the training of future pilots. EFTA was one of the launch customers for the Embraer Phenom 100EV aircraft, which incorporates three interchangeable glass displays; state-of-the-art avionics; smart automation systems; and graphical flight planning capabilities.

At EFTA, cadets typically complete 113 weeks of training, at least 900 hours of ground-based training and 250 hours of flight training using a competency-based approach. The facility currently hosts 250 cadets, including 40 international students from 18 nationalities. More than 100 cadets have graduated from EFTA as of December 2022.

EFTA was one of the launch customers for the Embraer Phenom 100EV aircraft, which incorporates three interchangeable glass displays; state-of-the-art avionics; smart automation systems; and graphical flight planning capabilities.

EFTA’s fully-operational flight operations centre is dedicated to the academy cadets only.

Currently, cadets at the Academy can use the fleet of 27 training aircraft – 22 nos. of Cirrus SR22 G6 single-engine piston aircraft and five nos. of Embraer Phenom 100EV very light jet aircraft – to train cadets with no previous knowledge of flying.

The two-year programme is costly - interested cadets must pay $180,000 to complete it. “However, this fee is all-inclusive. The students stay here on campus, and all their living needs are taken care of,” said Captain Abdulla, Vice President of Emirates Flight Training Academy.

EFTA’s fleet of 27 aircraft undergoes maintenance in the hangar, which is large enough to accommodate three Olympic-size swimming pools. This state-of-the-art facility houses – an aircraft wash bay area, a sheet metal and composite workshop, a mechanical/hydraulic workshop, and an avionics/battery workshop among other services.

A view of Emirates Flight Training Academy (EFTA) in Dubai.