Gulf Aviation Academy and Embry-Riddle Discuss Further Aviation Training Collaboration in Frankfurt

Germany – Bahrain-based aviation training provider Gulf Aviation Academy (GAA), the training arm of Gulf Air Group, has met with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Frankfurt, Germany, to discuss further opportunities for collaboration. The discussions build on an existing partnership covering aviation education, language training and professional development, with the organisations exploring opportunities to expand their training activities.

• GAA and Embry-Riddle established their partnership in 2024, initially signing a Memorandum of Understanding in September before formalising a commercial training agreement during the Bahrain International Airshow in November. The agreement created a framework for joint aviation education and professional development initiatives across Bahrain and the wider Middle East and North Africa region.
• The partnership initially identified several collaborative training areas:
  • English for Flight Training Assessment.
  • English for Air Traffic Control.
  • English for Flight Training.
  • Joint development of aviation education and training programs.
  • Faculty and student exchanges, applied research and professional development opportunities.
• In 2025, the organisations introduced an Aviation English for Flight Training course, structured as a nine-week program for aspiring pilots. GAA stated that applicants must complete an English Flight Training Assessment before enrolment, with the assessment offered for US$307.
• In December 2025, Embry-Riddle reported that a delegation led by university President Dr. P. Barry Butler and Worldwide Campus Chancellor Dr. John R. Watret had visited GAA in Bahrain to review existing initiatives, including the development of an Aviation English Course for Commercial Pilots intended to integrate aviation communication skills into airline pilot standardisation.
• The latest meeting in Frankfurt continues discussions between the organisations regarding additional cooperation opportunities.
• AFM previously reported that Gulf Aviation Academy and Embry-Riddle established a strategic aviation training partnership in September 2024, initially targeting aviation education and training opportunities across the Middle East and North Africa.

About Gulf Aviation Academy
Established in 2010 and headquartered in Muharraq, Bahrain, Gulf Aviation Academy is the aviation training arm of Gulf Air Group, providing airline pilot training, simulator-based instruction, cabin crew training, aviation engineering courses and air traffic control training. The academy operates Airbus full flight simulators and has expanded its Boeing training capabilities, including a Boeing 737NG Level D Full Flight Simulator introduced to its Bahrain facility in 2025.

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a US aviation and aerospace university headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, with residential campuses in Daytona Beach and Prescott, Arizona, alongside its Worldwide Campus network. The university provides undergraduate and postgraduate aviation education, flight training, aviation safety research and professional development programs internationally, including through its European campus in Frankfurt, Germany.

Source: Husain Bushehri (Gulf Aviation Academy)