Story ID: 538
Astonfly Ramps Up Pilot Training Near Paris
By: Celia Konowe
Caption: Astonfly sees itself as a modern, growing training provider to address the pilot shortage in France and beyond.
Word Count: 272
Astonfly, the flight school based at the Toussus-le-Noble (Yvelines) airport, is displaying two of its fleet of 40 single and twin-engine aircraft this week at the Pairs Air Show. As airlines have experienced unprecedented growth (almost 5 percent annually) and are thus recruiting, so flying shools such as Astonfly (Static Display A6) are working to meet the demand for more pilots.

In fact, analysts predict a need for 5,000 pilots per year in Europe, while only 1,500 are currently trained each year. Globally, that estimate increases to 41,500 pilots needed every year until 2037.

At Astonfly, professional pilot training takes 18 months—nine for theory lessons and nine for practical lessons. After those 18 months, students receive their professional pilot’s license and qualifications to directly join an airline. Each year, four classes of 30 students graduate and 96 percent of all students find a job within 12 months, it said.

Astonfly accounts for almost 70 percent of the traffic at the Toussus-le-Noble Airport. The campus, which can cater up to 250 students simultaneously, includes an aircraft hangar, two lecture theaters, three simulators, and various recreational areas.

The school supports students at all stages of their training, taking charge over student life such as boarding, financial assistance, and sports. The Astonjob pack includes three years of post-training practice, preparation for selections, quarterly meetings with recruiters at the Aéro-Club de France, and access to a recruitment portal among the alumni.

Astonfly can be found exhibiting all week at Stand B1 in the “Careers Plane” space, as well as on the static display area with one of its Cessna 172s and Cirrus SR22s.