The Emirates Flight Training Academy reviews applications on a continuous basis, and new students are taken in every other month. Interested candidates will be required to pass the selection process put in place by the airline.
Adel Al Redha, chief operating officer at Emirates Airline says: "At Emirates, we continuously explore opportunities to support and initiate programmes within the aviation industry. We are pleased to offer this unique opportunity for Emirates Flight Training Academy graduates to pursue their flying careers at Emirates. This is an exclusive initiative launched by the airline to provide opportunities for UAE nationals, residents and international students wanting to build their careers as pilots.”
Captain Abdulla Al Hammadi, vice president of the Emirates Flight Training Academy says: "The demand for pilots will continue to grow globally and within the region, despite the recent pause that we have seen as a result of the pandemic. At EFTA, we are committed to providing state of the art training programmes using some of the latest aircraft and technologies as well as training methods."
Located in Dubai South, the training academy is spread over 164,000 square metres (the area of 200 football fields) and includes 36 modern classrooms, next-generation simulators, and a fleet of 27 Cirrus SR22 G6 single-engine piston and Embraer Phenom 100EV very light jet aircraft. The academy also boasts a 1,800-metre dedicated runway with navigation aids and lighting, an independent air traffic control tower, rescue and firefighting service, and a maintenance centre.
The academy uses a four-pronged approach to train its cadets:
• Highly interactive theoretical learning in classrooms using advanced digital content and immersive VR technology,
• Experiential learning through hands-on instruction of modern training aircraft,
• Use of advanced flight simulators, and
• Airline-focused line-oriented flight training.
The academy has also established an innovative approach to training cadets, from learning to fly the single-engine piston Cirrus SR22 G6 aircraft to directly progressing to the Phenom 100EV very light jet (VLJ) aircraft, providing cadets with more experience on jet aircraft. In fact, the last batch of cadets that graduated in December last year clocked in over 6,000 flying hours during their training at the Academy.
Cadets at EFTA graduate with a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) on a multi-engine aircraft with Instrument Rating. The total training duration for cadets ranges between 21 months and 24 months.
Interested international applicants, as well as UAE nationals and residents, can take advantage of competitive tuition fees for the two years training period, which also cover training materials, accommodation, dining, and uniforms, amongst other expenses. UAE Nationals seeking careers as pilots may have the opportunity to be selected for a fully sponsored pilot training programme.
