AirAsia Academy To Produce 5,000 Pilots Yearly

Sepang: AirAsia Bhd, following the RM40 million expansion plan for the second phase of its academy, is expected to produce up to 5,000 pilots yearly from the current 400 pilots.
“The academy is our best moment because this is for the future,” said AirAsia Bhd’s group chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes.
“It also shows Malaysia’s capability as we train pilots from all over the world,” he told reporters after signing a partnership agreement with CAE.
The second phase of the academy, which is expected to be completed in June this year, will see additional classrooms, multi-purpose halls, a swimming pool and other facilities.
Fernandes added that the academy had already trained pilots from the Middle East, India, China, the Philippines and Singapore.
Meanwhile, CAE announced that it has selected Kuala Lumpur for its Southeast Asian training hub.The company, based in Canada, said it would leverage on its existing partnership with AirAsia to develop an aviation centre of excellence and expand within the region.
CAE will deliver world-class aviation training to pilots, maintenance technicians and cabin crew for airlines across Southeast Asia, and Kuala Lumpur will be its regional hub for the Multi-Crew Pilot Licence and Airbus Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) training.
CAE’s group president of innovation and civil training and services, Jeff Roberts, said Southeast Asia was currently facing a shortage of pilots, adding that more than 1,000 pilots were needed annually in the region over the next 20 years.
Currently, the academy is equipped with three simulators — two CAE-built Airbus A320s belonging to AirAsia and a Boeing 737-300 owned by CAE.
14/01/08 Bernama, Malaysia