Emirates partners with Boeing for flight academy

Emirates Flight Training Academy, the new flight training facility developed by Emirates airline to respond to the industry’s growing need for pilots, has signed an agreement with Boeing under which both organisations will collaborate on a comprehensive training curriculum and software infrastructure to support Academy operations.

Emirates Flight Training Academy, currently under construction at Al Maktoum International Airport- Dubai World Central (DWC) and scheduled to open in October 2016, will combine best practices in education with state of the art learning technologies and cutting-edge training aircraft.

Under the agreement with Boeing, Emirates Flight Training Academy will receive an integrated software system, based on the Peters Software system acquired by Boeing, for managing cadet learning and training flight operations, and an enhanced curriculum customised for Emirates. Cadets will learn with highly interactive digital content delivered in purpose-designed classrooms and on personal tablets.

“Our programme is designed to produce career-ready pilots. Exceeding regulatory requirements, the curriculum will, for instance, see cadets complete at least 1,100 hours of ground and 315 hours of flight training using a competency-focused approach. We are leveraging Boeing’s expertise in airline pilot training to identify opportunities to enhance the Academy’s curriculum,” said Captain Alan Stealey, Principal, Emirates Flight Training Academy.

Emirates designed the Academy to promote advancements in four key areas of pilot training: interactive learning for theoretical subjects in classrooms, practical learning in the most capable training aircraft, practical learning in advanced flight simulators, and airline-focused line-oriented flight training. When fully operational, the Academy will be able to accommodate over 600 students at a time.

Emirates recently placed an order for 27 aircraft allowing ab-initio pilots to receive 100% of their training in the UAE at the most advanced pilot academy in the world with a purpose-built learning environment for developing professional pilots. Ab-initio pilots in the airline’s long-running Emirates National Cadet Programme currently complete their training at a variety of overseas locations. When the Academy opens its doors later in the year, all aspects of pilot training for the airline will be established in Dubai.

Emirates Flight Training Academy will initially focus on cadets in Emirates’ existing prestigious National Cadet Pilot Training Programme for UAE nationals. However, the Academy intends to welcome international cadet pilots in the near future.