Airbus to build new training campus
Airbus is to build a new training campus in France to help meet predicted future demand for pilots and mechanics.
The manufacturer said the Training and Flight Operations Campus in Toulouse-Blagnac would “contribute to maintaining quality and occupational safety standards within aviation, as well as supporting airlines’ crew training needs for the introduction of new Airbus aircraft into their fleets and their future growth”.
This campus will be operational by 2026, Airbus said, and able to enrol around 10,000 trainees every year with space for up to 12 Full Flight Simulators (FFS) and 12 Airbus Procedure Trainers.
In addition, new office space will be created for around 600 Airbus employees.
The new facility will be the largest of 15 Airbus pilot training centres globally and the only one of its kind in Europe.
Airbus operates 43 Full Flight Simulators (FFS) worldwide. Currently, six FFS of all Airbus Family aircraft are available to customers for training in Toulouse.
An existing A330 FFS will be replaced by a new A330neo FFS, while one additional A350 FFS will be added when the new facility opens, increasing the number of FFS then to seven.
The brand new Training and Flight Operations Campus will co-locate all the Airbus Training Services activities in France into one facility, together with the teams from Flight Operations and NAVBLUE, Airbus’ flight operations solutions and services subsidiary.
“Integrated in our worldwide Airbus Training Services offering at 22 sites on five continents, this setup will allow us to embed our attractive aviation personnel training offer into a state-of-the-art facility, creating for our customers in Europe an unforgettable journey through a modern, unique and immersive learning experience,” said Maia Kuilenberg, head of Airbus Training Services.
