JAKARTA - Emirates airline, the world's largest operator of Airbus A380 jets, will soon build an advanced training centre for pilots as it ramps up operations, to meet the high demand for air travel.
The centre will house six full flight simulator rooms for future Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X aircraft, the airline said.
The training unit, which is planned to cover 5,882 square meters, is expected to open in March 2024.
"This USD 135 million investment to build this new pilot training centre, will ensure Emirates' readiness to commence pilot training before the delivery of a new fleet of aircraft starting in 2024", said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive. airlines Emirates and Group launched The National News on February 20.
"This 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", he continued.
Demand for air travel has exceeded expectations, prompting the airline's plans to hire additional pilots and cabin crew, return more Airbus A380s to service and rebuild its network to pre-pandemic levels, Emirates chief operations officer Adel Al Redha said on the sidelines of the Bahrain International Airshow in November.
Later, the new training unit will be adjacent to Emirates' existing training complex in Dubai, which will help trainees integrate with other training centres, the airline said.
Trainees can set up and configure the cockpit environment, as part of the pilot training module and upload data to the full flight simulator, he said.
"This concept is designed to shorten the trainee's preparation time in the simulator, helping them to maintain focus and make the most of the duration of the training", said Emirates.
With the addition of a new building to Dubai's existing airline training college, Emirates will have the potential to expand its pilot training capacity by 54 per cent annually.
Across from the airline's training building, pilots can use 17 full flight simulators which offer a capacity of over 130,000 hours of training a year.
In line with the scheduled delivery of Emirates' first Airbus A350 aircraft, the airline's newest training college will commence training for its first batch of A350 pilots in June 2024.
In addition to a training centre for its flight deck crew, the airline says it offers a variety of career development programs for its workforce and other aviation professionals.
In Dubai, these include the Emirates Aviation Training Academy for cadets, Emirates Aviation University, Emirates Cabin Crew Training Center and many tailor-made programs for different segments of its employees, he said.
The airline intends to employ an additional 400 pilots and 5,000 to 6,000 cabin crew by mid-2023, recruiting to the maximum capacity of its training centre, it said at the time.
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This will increase its current workforce of 4,500 pilots and 17,500 cabin crew.
The airline's capacity has recovered to 80 per cent from pre-pandemic levels while its sprawling network has returned to 95 per cent of its pre-crisis size after international borders reopened and coronavirus-related restrictions eased.
In terms of capacity, it currently operates a fleet of 120 Boeing 777 aircraft and 78 of 116 Airbus A380, said Al Redha. Emirates plans to return its entire superjumbo fleet to service by the end of 2023.
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