Story ID: 394
Etihad Aviation Training Signals Broader Ambitions
By: Peter Shaw-Smith
Caption: Etihad’s training arm presents itself as one-stop-shop for training, for individual aspiring pilots to airline customers.
Word Count: 1071
Etihad Aviation Training (EAT), part of Etihad Aviation Group (EAG, Hall 4 Stand 4810), has relaunched its aviation training organization with the aim of becoming one of the most comprehensive aviation training facilities in the world. Based at two locations in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, EAT, previously known as Etihad Flight College, is a commercially focused business open to external customers, while retaining the operational and safety values that have underpinned Etihad’s training services to date.
“Etihad Aviation Training is an ambitious enterprise, pursuing its mandate to provide outstanding training services to a global audience. The growth of the business will mirror the expansion of the global training market and we are excited about our expanding portfolio of programs and products. These services are accessible to both Etihad Airways and now, for the first time, to external customers,” EAT CEO, Tony Douglas, said.
EAT offers a wide range of training products and services, including airline training, type rating, cabin crew safety training, instructor training, cadet programs, and aircraft maintenance training, making it one of the largest training facilities in the Middle East.
Today, 10 full-flight simulators are in operation with two additional devices arriving later this year, including the first Airbus A350-900 and a third Boeing 787-9 unit. This will enable EAT to take advantage of increasing global training demand, particularly from within the GCC, Europe, the Indian sub-continent, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
“We are always looking for ways to expand our operations and activities, and the relaunch of the center is the perfect platform for us to do this,” said Captain Paolo La Cava, director of EAT.
“By expanding and redeveloping our facilities within the UAE, we are able to offer a one-stop solution to our customers—from individual pilots to global airlines—and I’m confident that we will grow to become a globally recognized aviation training center.”
Third-party Training
EAT’s packages include the Multi-crew Pilot Licence (MPL) and Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) programs delivered from its flight training organization based in Al Ain. The UAE National Cadet Pilot Training Program has to date trained 231 UAE nationals, 91 of whom are active flight crew for Etihad today, with a further 200-plus cadets continuing through the program through 2022.
EAT has ambitions to throw open ab initio pilot training to international pilot cadets, in a move that could see EAT start to tackle an already identified future airline pilot shortage, potentially revolutionizing the Middle East’s contribution to the global problem of training sufficient pilots.
“Currently we are running an MPL course for Etihad Airways and ATPL for external third-party customers, and given support from sponsor airlines, will throw open the international program later this year. It is not 100 percent confirmed yet, but the idea is to open up to international programs for MPL and ATPL,” James Collishaw, EAT’s head of business development, told AIN. 
“Everyone is aware there is going to be a huge shortage across the board. If we launch it, the program will be worldwide. Of course, there will be restrictions on employment in the UAE, however, the idea is to have a global program with a multitude of sponsors that will create a truly worldwide program,” he said.
“While the ultra-modern EAT facility speaks for itself, there is always the challenge of winning new business in a competitive global marketplace. We are fortunate to have our largest customer, Etihad Airways, right on our doorstep, [but] to build our third-party customer portfolio we have installed a commercial team capable of taking our ATO to the next level.
“Marketing and selling our newly commercialized products and services is only the beginning...The real challenge for all training centers lies in the long-term retention of third-party customers that can only be achieved through flexible yet tailored products and a refreshed mindset of all the employees within EAT to focus on customer needs and requirements.”
EAT operates two facilities, one adjacent to Abu Dhabi International Airport, for airline training, and an ab initio flight training program based in Al Ain. “Al Ain is a flight training school teaching cadets, while Abu Dhabi [is] an academy [offering] advanced flight training. We have full flight simulators and cabin-crew training facilities in the same building in Abu Dhabi, adjacent to Etihad’s headquarters,” he said.
Some 70 Italian trainees were recently trained on the twin-engine piston Diamond DA42 diesel at EAT’s Al Ain flying school. “Alitalia scored the highest pass rates in Europe, with a 95 percent first-time pass rate, and the airline was extremely pleased. The last Al Italia pilot finished in May 2018.”
The EAT spokesman also explained the benefits of the MPL over the ATPL from the airline’s perspective. “When trainee pilots apply to airlines, their ATPL is frozen; with the MPL, you are sponsored by the airlines. It’s a guaranteed employment route for junior pilots. They get type-rated under the program, and are guaranteed to fly 1,500 hours with an airline, at which point their licenses are unfrozen,” he said.
“Under the ATPL, line pilots do two years of training but are not guaranteed a job at the end of the course; they are not type-rated on any aircraft. The benefit for the cadets comes from the flexibility of this training option and allows the cadets to be free to apply for any airline after completion.”
For the Etihad Airways tailored MPL program, success rates have been high.
“When the MPL cadets arrive in Abu Dhabi for advanced simulator training, there is no real competency deficit, as they are already familiar with a glass cockpit and crew resource management (CRM), used from day one on the MPL course.  The results for the jet MPL are very good. The airline is extremely impressed with the level of students. Most of these are Emirati, although a small number of ex-pats is also now line-flying with Etihad Airways,” he said.
Ab initio training currently takes place in Al Ain but it is unclear whether this will also take place in Abu Dhabi once the program is extended internationally. Aircraft used to train new pilots include the Cessna 172, the Extra 300, the Diamond DA42, and the Phenom 100 light jet.