Many of the next generation of pilots will learn to fly at the Qantas Group’s new Pilot Academy in Toowoomba, which was officially opened on January 29.
The Pilot Academy will have the capacity to train up to 250 pilots each year to build a long-term talent pipeline for Qantas, Jetstar and QantasLink and help the broader industry meet the increasing need for skilled aviators.
Boeing estimates more than 800,000 more pilots will be required globally over the next 20 years with around one-third of them in the Asia Pacific.
The training facilities comprise a 1500 m² hangar, four flight training simulators, classrooms as well as purpose-built pre-flight briefing and flight scheduling areas. The students are learning to fly in single-engine Diamond DA40 and multi-engine DA42 aircraft.
The Academy also aims to increase the proportion of female, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pilots in the industry.
