Etihad Aviation Training, a division of Etihad Aviation Group, has become the first aviation company in the Middle East to gain approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to train Boeing 777 and 787 pilots for European carriers.
The approval to train pilots for these two wide-bodied Boeing aircraft types expands the global capabilities of Etihad Aviation Training, which in 2018 also gained approval for pilots of Airbus A320, A330 and A340 aircraft.
Paolo La Cava, vice president and managing director of Etihad Aviation Training, said continuing growth in global demand for air travel was driving increased requirements for pilot training.
“Some operators have insufficient capacity to conduct training in their own facilities while others do not have in-house capabilities,” said La Cava. “In addition to training pilots for Etihad Airways, Etihad Aviation Training also supports the requirements of many other operators for a range of aircraft types.”
Etihad Aviation Training has 11 full motion training simulators, including five for Boeing 777 and 787 training, as well as fixed base devices, and training teams include senior pilots actively flying for Etihad Airways.
La Cava said the Boeing 777 and 787 were two of the most in-demand aircraft in service today, and as their deployment increased so too did demand for pilot training.
He said Etihad Aviation Training soon would also add training capability for the newest wide-body aircraft in airline service, the Airbus A350.