Dubai: Emirates Flight Training Academy was officially opened by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday.
The purpose-built facility near Al Maktoum Airport has its own 1.8km runway, independent flight control and a fleet of 27 training aircraft in addition to flight simulators.
It has a capacity of 600 cadets with accommodation for both men and women. And it has a selection of sports and leisure facilities alongside 36 classrooms and a 350-seat auditorium.
Plans for the academy were first announced at Dubai Airshow in 2011, and it broke ground in 2015. The first cadets moved into the facility in September.
Captain Abdullah Al Hammadi, Vice-President of the academy, said in his welcoming address that the opening was a “first step” in Emirates’ pilot training programme.
One of the world’s most advanced pilot training facilities
He said the academy was “one of the world’s most advanced pilot training facilities, using the latest technologies and methodologies.”
“The academy will not only prepare the future generations of pilots to work for Emirates airline, but will also meet the requirements of other carriers from the UAE, the region and the world,” Captain Al Hammadi said.
He added: “We will always invest in new pilot training technologies to make students’flying experiences unforgettable.”
Pilot cadets who attend the academy’s course will complete 1,100 hours of ground-based training, and 315 hours of flight training — 130 hours of that in flight simulators and 185 hours of actual flight.
The backbone of the academy’s training aircraft will be the Cirrus SR22 G6, each with a price of $700,000 (Dh2.57 million). The first two arrived in at the Academy in July; the fleet will eventually have 22 of the single engine, propeller-driven trainers.
In addition the academy will have five Embraer Phenom 100EV multi-engine jet aircraft worth $4.8 million each, the first of which arrived earlier in November. The academy is one of the launch customers for the light jet, an evolution of Embraer’s Phenom 100 business jets.
- Captain Al Hammadi | Emirates Flight Academy
Training courses
The Academy’s flight training courses vary from 21 months, if cadets do require foundation training, such as English language skills, up to 3.5 years.
Graduates will receive a Commercial Pilot Licence, with Instrument Rating, on multi-engined aircraft, and an Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL), frozen until they meet non-training requirements such as minimum age.
Captain Al Hammadi added, “The academy meets the students’ practical, living and recreational requirements, which makes it one of its kind worldwide.
“It also adopts modern and smart training methods in cooperation with partners including Boeing.”
