Qantas announced the official opening of its new Pilot Academy flight training school in Toowoomba, Australia, on Wednesday. The airline says the academy has the capacity to train up to 250 pilots a year with the goal of building “a long-term talent pipeline” for Qantas, Jetstar and QantasLink. The first class of 34 students has started training with an additional 100 students expected to begin by the end of the year.
“Opening our new Pilot Academy is a historic moment for Qantas, for aviation in Australia and for the thousands of future pilots who will learn how to fly here in Toowoomba,” said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce. “Qantas Group pilots have a long-held reputation for being amongst the best in the world because of their high standards of training, and that tradition continues with the launch of our own Pilot Academy.”
According to the airline, academy graduates will finish the twelve-month training course with a CASA commercial pilots license and join the Qantas Group’s pilot talent pool. Academy facilities include a 1500-square-meter (16,145-square-foot) hangar, four flight training simulators, classrooms, and preflight briefing and flight scheduling areas. Flight training is completed in Diamond DA40 and DA42 aircraft. Qantas is also considering opening a second campus in Mackay.
