TRAINING

Crawley, United Kingdom

Acron Aviation is an aviation training and avionics company formed when investment firm TJC acquired L3Harris's Commercial Aviation Solutions business (formerly CTC Aviation / L3Harris Airline Academy) for $800 million in March 2025. It operates a simulator manufacturing facility in Crawley (UK), along with pilot training academies in Orlando Sanford (US), Bangkok, and Crawley. In October 2025, it acquired Trakka Systems, adding facilities in Sweden and Australia. In 2026, an agreement was reached for its Commercial Training Solutions business to be acquired by FlightSafety International, with the transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of the year.

Blagnac (Toulouse), France

Airbus Flight Academy, Airbus's civil aviation training arm, operates training centers led by the Airbus Training Centre Europe in Blagnac near Toulouse, as well as centers in Hamburg, Miami, Beijing, Singapore, Bangalore, New Delhi, and Mexico. The Blagnac center, with six full flight simulators, provides pilot and engineer training across a wide range of aircraft, from the A320 family to the A380. During 2024-2026, a new Training and Flight Operations Campus is being built in Toulouse, aiming to increase pilot, technician, and cabin crew training capacity.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai-based Airways Aviation is an aviation training group running pilot training and cadet programs on a global scale. It has signed a cooperation agreement with Dynamic Advanced Training in the UAE and established a strategic partnership with Asia Pacific Flight Training in India. The company focuses on providing flight training and pilot career development programs for airlines worldwide.

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Founded in Atlanta in 1984, ATP Flight School today forms the country's largest airline-focused pilot training network, with 87 training centers across the United States and a fleet of 658 aircraft (102 multi-engine, 511 single-engine aircraft, and 177 simulators). It issues more than 13,700 FAA pilot licenses and logs more than 600,000 flight hours per year. It has formal 'Career Track' agreements with 38 airlines and placed 1,125 graduates with airlines in the past 12 months.

Vilnius, Lithuania

BAA Training is a Vilnius-headquartered aviation training company operating under the Avia Solutions Group umbrella, providing approximately 100,000 flight hours per year and type rating training to more than 1,200 pilots through simulator centers in Lithuania, Spain (Barcelona), France (Paris), and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City). It serves more than 100 airlines and more than 300 individual customers. As an EASA-approved Approved Training Organisation (ATO), it also runs cadet pilot programs.

Miami, United States

Boeing Training & Flight Services (formerly Alteon Training), operating under Boeing Global Services, provides type training, full flight simulator services, and professional training programs for Boeing commercial aircraft. The company consolidated its flight training facilities from Seattle into a large training campus in Miami. It has obtained FAA and EASA simulator certifications for next-generation aircraft types such as the 777X. It serves airlines globally with pilot, cabin crew, and technical personnel training.

Montreal, Canada

CAE is a Canadian company and global leader in full flight simulator (FFS) manufacturing and pilot/cabin crew training, operating more than 50 civil aviation training centers worldwide. Under the CAE Oxford Aviation Academy brand, it runs the world's largest ab initio pilot training network with seven campuses and a fleet of more than 220 aircraft. It has established joint training centers with airlines such as Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and IndiGo, and also provides initial and recurrent training to JetBlue. As of 2026, it continues to expand its training capacity in line with growing global pilot demand (for example, with its new Mumbai center in India).

Greater Noida, India

CAE Simulation Training Private Limited (CSTPL), a joint venture between CAE and InterGlobe Enterprises (IndiGo's parent company), opened in Greater Noida in 2013 with capacity for six simulators, making it India's largest pilot training facility at the time; established with an investment of more than $25 million, the center has the capacity to train more than 5,000 aviation professionals per year. It has provided A320 type training to IndiGo. In August 2025, CAE and InterGlobe expanded their capacity in India by opening another six-simulator training center in Mumbai.

Adelaide, Australia

Established in 1982, Flight Training Adelaide has been the official ab initio training center providing basic flight training to Cathay Pacific's cadet pilots since 1994. To date, approximately 1,800 Cathay Pacific pilots — more than half of the airline's flight crew — have trained in Adelaide. Adelaide's clear and predictable weather conditions offer an ideal training environment for new pilots.

Guanghan, China

Established in 1956 by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), CAFUC is one of the world's largest pilot training institutions, with 262 training aircraft and 45 flight simulators across five airport campuses in Guanghan, Xinjin, Luoyang, Mianyang, and Suining. With more than 16,000 full-time students, the university has produced more than 100,000 graduates to date; CAFUC alumni are among the current and former executives of China Eastern and China Southern Airlines. It maintains training partnerships with ICAO, IATA, Boeing, and Airbus.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Emirates Flight Training Academy (EFTA), a subsidiary of Emirates Group, became operational in 2017 with its own dedicated runway and campus near Dubai World Central airport. With a fleet of Cirrus SR22 and Embraer Phenom 100EV aircraft, the Academy trains the UAE's National Cadet Pilot Programme as well as international students. It has a cooperation agreement with Boeing for training curriculum development. In 2025, it expanded its fleet with UPRT (Upset Prevention and Recovery Training) aircraft.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Etihad Aviation Training (EAT), the training organization of Etihad Airways, offers Airbus and Boeing type pilot training, cadet programs, cabin crew, and airport training at its campus in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, with 11 full flight simulators and 7 flight training devices. The company partners with Alpha Aviation Academy for basic flight skills training. It won the 'Training Provider of the Year' and 'Best Airline Pilot Training Programme' awards at the 2026 Aviation Achievement Awards.

New York, United States

FlightSafety International is an American company under Berkshire Hathaway that provides simulator-based training for the business jet and commercial aviation sectors. With more than 1,600 instructors and 300 simulation engineers, it operates numerous learning centers across the United States and around the world. In 2026, it agreed to acquire Acron Aviation's Commercial Training Solutions (CTS) business; once the deal closes, it will add approximately 300 full flight simulators along with training facilities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Thailand. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Muharraq, Bahrain

Bahrain-based Gulf Aviation Academy (GAA) holds the distinction of being the first EASA-approved Approved Training Organisation (ATO) established outside Europe, and with six full flight simulators (A320, Embraer 170/190, A330) it provides training across a broad range — from pilots and cabin crew to air traffic controllers and engineers. It holds accreditations such as Airbus joint training center status, a KLM Engineering regional training center, and a UK CAA regional center. It aims to be one of the preferred aviation training centers in the MENA region.

Amman, Jordan

Jordan Airline Training & Simulation (JATS), jointly owned with Royal Jordanian and headquartered in Amman, is described as one of the oldest and most advanced aviation training centers in the Middle East. With Airbus A320-200 (Thales) and Embraer E190-E2 (CAE) full flight simulators, it offers pilot type rating, cabin crew certification, aircraft maintenance engineering, and dispatch training. Since its founding, more than 100,000 pilots, cabin crew, maintenance engineers, and dispatch personnel have trained at JATS. It holds the distinction of being the only approved cabin crew training organization (ACCTO) in Jordan.

Melbourne, United States

L3Harris Training Solutions was a Melbourne, Florida-based L3Harris business unit engaged in commercial aviation simulator manufacturing and pilot training. In March 2025, L3Harris sold this Commercial Aviation Solutions business (including the Airline Academy, originating from CTC Aviation) to investment firm TJC for $800 million; the business was rebranded as Acron Aviation. L3Harris has since exited commercial flight training and is now focused on defense- and security-oriented simulation solutions. As of 2026, a separate agreement has also been reached for this business (now under the Acron Aviation umbrella) to be acquired by FlightSafety International.

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

LIFT Academy, founded by regional airline Republic Airways in Indianapolis in 2018, is an integrated pilot development program established in-house by the airline in response to the pilot shortage. The Academy, which has a fleet expansion partnership with Diamond Aircraft, collaborates with Indiana Wesleyan University on training programs. Some of its graduates enter the industry through Cape Air, Republic Airways' partner airline program.

Hallbergmoos, Germany

Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT), headquartered at LabCampus at Munich Airport, is Europe's leading aviation training provider with a total of 12 training centers in Germany (Berlin, Essen, Frankfurt, Munich, Bremen, Rostock-Laage), Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and the United States (Phoenix, Arizona). With more than 60 years of experience, it offers pilot training, cabin crew and emergency training, human factors training, and flight simulation device services. In addition to Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Eurowings), it also trains third-party airlines.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MAB Academy, under Malaysia Aviation Group (the parent company of Malaysia Airlines), is an IATA-approved training organization offering comprehensive training programs for pilots, cabin crew, and technical personnel. In 2025, it won IATA's CBTA (Competency-Based Training and Assessment) Centre Innovation Award together with Ahlex. Its training infrastructure, directly tied to Malaysia Airlines' airline operations, also serves other airlines in the region.

Clearwater, Florida, United States

Founded in 1932, National Aviation Academy (NAA) is an aviation training institution specializing in aircraft maintenance technician (A&P) training in the United States, operating campuses in Clearwater, Florida and Concord, Massachusetts. It offers Aircraft Maintenance Technology, Advanced Aircraft Systems, and Aircraft Maintenance Certification programs. The Massachusetts campus was formed when East Coast Aero Tech, founded in 1932, joined NAA in 2008.

Miami, Florida, United States

Pan Am International Flight Academy is a Miami-based flight training provider that carries the historic Pan American World Airways brand and today operates as an independent training company. With a broad fleet of full flight simulators including the Boeing 737-CL/NG, Airbus A320/A330, Saab 340B, and Boeing 767/777/747-400, it offers type training, ATP-CTP certification, and FAA license conversion training for foreign pilots. In 2026, it received EASA approval for its A330 Level D simulator and expanded its preparatory program for personnel transitioning to cargo airlines.

Doha, Qatar

Doha-based Qatar Aeronautical College (QAA) is an aviation training institution that provides basic flight training to aspiring pilots, includes Diamond Aircraft training planes in its fleet, and holds IATA/ICAO recognition. It plays a significant role in training pilots for Qatar's civil aviation sector.

Orlando, Florida, United States

SIMCOM Aviation Training, which provides simulator-based training for business jets and turboprop aircraft, has conducted tens of thousands of training events on aircraft types such as the King Air and Citation. CAE acquired a 50% stake in the company in 2022, and in November 2024 raised its stake to a majority position by expanding a 15-year exclusive business jet training agreement with Flexjet affiliates. Headquartered in Orlando, the company now operates under the 'Simcom by CAE' brand.

Singapore

Singapore Airlines Training Centre (SATC) is Singapore Airlines' in-house training center that runs cabin crew and flight operations training. The airline also established a joint pilot training center with CAE in 2017, which became operational in 2018. After being hired, SIA's cabin crew candidates go through comprehensive service and safety training at SATC.

Istanbul, Turkey

Turkish Airlines Flight Academy, the training organization of Turkish Airlines, is headquartered in Istanbul and operates a dedicated pilot training campus at Çıldır Airport in Aydın. The campus has a fleet of 36 training aircraft — 31 single-engine and 5 multi-engine — along with FNPT II simulators. The Academy also offers cabin crew training and IATA-approved classroom training (RTP) in Istanbul. In line with Turkish Airlines' growing fleet, it continues to steadily expand its pilot and cabin crew training capacity.

Goodyear, Arizona, United States

United Aviate Academy, opened by United Airlines in Goodyear, Arizona in 2022, is the training facility for the airline's own pilot development and diversity-focused cadet program, Aviate. The Academy provides integrated training from zero flight experience to a pilot license, aiming to funnel its graduates into United's regional partner airlines and, ultimately, United Airlines itself. Established with a $10 million investment, the facility is one of the first large-scale pilot academies opened by an airline in the United States.