Airbus subsidiary Airbus Flight Academy Europe (AFAE) now has new and fully operational facilities in Angoulême in the south-west of France. Set in 4.7 hectares of grounds, the new, purpose-built facilities which includes a new building of approx. 3200m² will be solely dedicated to the training of new pilots with 14 classrooms and briefing rooms, a simulator hall, an auditorium and a restaurant.
During the opening ceremony it was also announced that Barcelona-based Volotea will be the first carrier to recruit AFAE-qualified pilots. “This is a very important day for Volotea, as we are taking cadets directly from the Airbus Flight Academy Europe for the first time. We’re all very excited by it as we know the programme quality is of a very high standard, adapting perfectly to Volotea´s training philosophy, said Carlos Muñoz, CEO Volotea.”
AFAE began operations in 2019 and its Ab Initio Training Programme will see 11 newly qualified pilots join Volotea from April-May this year. The new premises provide AFAE, which is the first flight school to deliver the Airbus Pilot Cadet Training Programme in Europe, with a ramped-up capacity to simultaneously train up to 200 pilot cadets. The new training facilities underscore Airbus’ commitment to airline customers to help meet the demand for an anticipated 550,000 new pilots over the next 20 years, as outlined in the Airbus GMF 2021-2040. The Airbus Pilot Cadet Training Programme is open to high school graduates worldwide who are over 18 years of age. Candidates will undergo online and on-site screening tests prior to becoming eligible for training which will involve 750+ hours of ground school and 200 hours of practical (flight and simulator) training.