Boeing Expands Pilot Training Network

Boeing announced it has officially launched its global network of Boeing Training Providers to support its Pilot Development Program.

The flight schools – Avion Training, part of Avion Group in the Netherlands, International Airline Training Academy (IATA) in Napa, CA, and SAA International (SAA), a subsidiary of Velocity Education, in San Diego, CA – were subject to a rigorous review process before receiving final acceptance to be part of the Boeing Pilot Development Program network.

 “With these three top-tier schools, we are removing the burden of identifying and vetting potential schools for our customers,” said David Wright, Boeing Pilot Development Program director. “Customers can trust that Boeing has done the leg work so they can focus on what they do best – flying people and cargo around the world.”

In order to be considered for the training network, schools must prove a good safety culture, have a good industry reputation and have airline and crew-focused training.

“Boeing’s Pilot Development Program is built to provide customers with qualified first officers that seamlessly integrate into airline operations,” Wright said. “These three schools each bring unique characteristics to the industry to help fill the future pilot demand of Boeing’s diverse customer base.”

Boeing will provide routine checks to ensure cadets are receiving Boeing’s high level of training.

The Boeing Pilot Development Program is a fully integrated solution that takes cadet pilots through initial screening, English training, ab initio (basic classroom and flight instruction), jet bridge and type rating training at Boeing Training Providers and Boeing training campuses around the world to ensure an efficient, consistent and effective pipeline for airlines to secure qualified first officers.

The 2016 Pilot and Technician Outlook projects a need for 617,000 new pilots in the next 20 years. That equates to a need for nearly 31,000 new commercial airline pilots and more than 33,000 new maintenance technicians globally each year.

In its seventh year, the Pilot and Technician Outlook is a respected industry study which forecasts the 20 year demand for crews to support the world’s growing commercial airplane fleet.