Emirates announces the construction of a new pilot training center
Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East has announced that it has big plans for future expansion. Emirates’ fleet of planes will grow in the coming years, and with that, the company will need more pilots, so it has announced an investment of $135 million in a new pilot training center to be ready in 2024.
Features of the upcoming Emirates training center
The new center will have a surface area of 63,318 sq. ft. and will be in Dubai, within the Emirates Training Facilities, making it easier to access other training centers as they are in close proximity to each other.
Full Flight Simulator Bays (FFS) for Emirates’ new Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X fleet
At the Dubai Air Show in 2013, Emirates announced an order for 150 Boeing 777Xs, making it at the time the largest airplane order ever, only recently to be dethroned by Air India’s historic order. Boeing’s new 777X aircraft is expected to enter the market in 2025. Also at the Dubai Air Show, but this time in 2019, Emirates announced an order for 50 Airbus A350 aircraft, scheduled to enter service in 2024.
In preparation for the market entry of the Boeing 777X and A350, Emirates’ new training center will be equipped with 6 Full Flight Simulator Bays. The first batch of Emirates A350 pilots is expected to be fully trained by June 2024.
Shorten training time for pilots in simulator
The new center will have a new concept, the first of its kind, which will significantly shorten the training time pilots spend in the simulator. Trainees will be able to configure their cockpit environment using bespoke devices and upload their data to Full Flight Simulator (FFS) before starting their training session.
What benefits will bring the new training center?
The new center will help improve the training capacity for pilots by 54% per year. Also, according to Emirates’ announcement, pilots will be able to improve their flying skills with 17 full flight simulator bays that will provide approximately 130,000 hours of training per year.
Commenting on the announcement, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, said:
This US$ 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. 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.
Source: Emirates
