Archives: Market Intelligences

Boeing Appoints Fahad Al Mheiri as Vice President for Middle East and North Africa

United Arab Emirates – Boeing has announced the appointment of Fahad Al Mheiri as Vice President for the Middle East Gulf and North Africa, effective January 2026.

  • Based in Dubai, Al Mheiri will be responsible for driving Boeing’s strategic engagement with government and enterprise stakeholders and strengthening partnerships in priority Middle East and North Africa markets.

  • He succeeds Kuljit Ghata-Aura, who has transitioned into a new executive role within Boeing.

  • Boeing confirmed that its Saudi Arabia operations will continue to be managed separately, under Country Vice President Asaad Aljomoai.

  • Al Mheiri joins Boeing from Raytheon Emirates, where he served as Managing Director, bringing extensive executive leadership experience across aerospace, defence, and advanced technology sectors.

  • The appointment aligns with Boeing’s long-term regional strategy to support national aerospace growth initiatives, including fleet modernisation, defence aviation, industrial participation, and workforce development.

  • Boeing currently employs more than 700 staff across the Middle East and North Africa, serving over 30 commercial airline customers and 12 armed forces in the region.

  • The company maintains a significant regional industrial footprint, sourcing materials and components from strategic partners including Strata and EPI in the UAE.

Statement

  • “Fahad’s extensive aerospace experience and his strong relationships in the region will enable us to continue to build on our 80-year legacy across the Middle East Gulf and North Africa, one of the world’s most thriving aerospace markets,” said Brendan Nelson, President of Boeing Global.

Source: Boeing

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USA Department of War Awards USD 835 Million Initial Pilot Training Contract in December 2025

Texas, USA – US Aviation Academy (USAA), one of the largest aviation and pilot training organizations in North America operating over 200 aircraft, has been awarded a major long-term U.S. government contract for Initial Pilot Training (IPT), reinforcing its position as a key supplier to military aviation training pipelines.

  • U.S. Aviation Academy has secured an USD 835.6 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract to deliver Initial Pilot Training (IPT) services in support of U.S. Air Education and Training Command (AETC) requirements.

  • The contract covers foundational aviation training for both U.S. government and international military student pilots, supporting early-stage pilot development prior to entry into advanced training pipelines.

  • The IPT programme is structured as a standardised, performance-based training system, focused on building core flying skills required for subsequent military aircraft training.

  • Training will be delivered using contractor-provided aircraft, simulators, curriculum, and instructional services, aligned with the approved performance work statement.

  • Work will be conducted across multiple training locations, including Denton, Texas; San Marcos, Texas; and Peachtree, Georgia, leveraging USAA’s established multi-campus training footprint.

  • The contract period extends through 18 December 2035, providing long-term visibility and utilisation for aircraft, simulator, and instructor resources.

  • The award followed a competitive acquisition process, with eight offers received, highlighting strong competition in the military pilot training services market.

  • Initial funding of USD 399,010 from Fiscal Year 2025 operations and maintenance appropriations was obligated at the time of award.

  • The 338th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron is the contracting activity.

Source: USA Department of War – Contracts Announcements

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Simaero Engineering Completes 10 Simulator Relocations Across Six Countries in 2025

Global – Simaero Engineering, the simulator engineering division of global pilot training centre operator Simaero, has reported a strong close to 2025, highlighting sustained demand for simulator relocation and engineering support services across multiple markets.

  • During 2025, Simaero Engineering successfully completed 10 simulator relocations across six countries.
  • Simaero Engineering expanded its team with two new hires during the year, strengthening internal capability to support a growing volume of technical and project-based work.
  • As of year-end 2025, the division is managing 10 active projects spanning simulator brokerage, spare parts provisioning, system upgrades, and research and development initiatives.

Source: Simaero Engineering

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Flight School Resource and Training Timeline Forecasting Software, Aeroplanned, Expands International Team and Airline Cadet Program Adoption

Global – Aeroplanned, a flight training–focused resource planning and forecasting software provider, has reported continued international growth in its third year of operation, alongside team expansion and increasing adoption by large flight schools and airline cadet programmes.

  • Aeroplanned is now working with flight training organisations across 15 countries, including several large-scale flight schools, and has onboarded its first airline customer using the platform to plan and deliver a cadet pilot programme.

  • The platform is designed to link student training progression directly with instructor, aircraft, and simulator resource planning, enabling training organisations to forecast capacity constraints and optimise utilisation.

  • The company has expanded its team with the addition of Raphaël Pellissier to support business development, bringing industry experience from Airbus alongside operational insight as an active Flight Instructor.

  • Aeroplanned has also confirmed that Sam Matthews will join the company as a senior developer in early 2026, strengthening its product development capability as adoption scales.

  • The update follows Aeroplanned’s recent rollout of its “3-Month Tracking and Resource Planning Dashboard,” previously reported by AFM, aimed at improving short- to medium-term operational visibility for flight schools.

  • The dashboard provides a rolling three-month forward view of student progress, cohort status, and resource utilisation, enabling early identification of training bottlenecks or under-used capacity.

  • Key functionality includes alignment with individual school KPIs, custom tagging and grouping of students and resources, and integrated forecasting to support intake planning and on-time course delivery.

  • In May 2025, Aeroplanned released an additional feature suite focused on improving data accuracy, including built-in prompts to identify missing or outdated inputs—targeting flight schools without dedicated planning teams.

  • The platform’s growing airline engagement signals increased interest in data-driven planning tools to manage cadet pipelines amid rising pilot demand and constrained training capacity globally.

Check out the video below to see how it 3 Month Tracking Forecast looks in action.

Source: Aeroplanned

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Fiji Airways Aviation Academy and CAE Complete 4K Visual Upgrades on 2 FFS at End of 2025

Fiji – Fiji Airways Aviation Academy (FJAA), the Nadi-based training facility operated by Fiji’s national carrier, has completed a significant milestone in its simulator technology upgrade program. Working in partnership CAE the Academy has upgraded the visual systems on its Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 MAX Full Flight Simulators (FFS), marking the final step in equipping all four of its CAE7000XR simulators with 4K visual capability.

The upgrades included the integration of next-generation Image Generators and FL40 4K projectors, enhancing the visual fidelity of both the A330 and B737 MAX simulators. These upgrades were completed in back-to-back fashion and delivered on schedule after five weeks of on-site work by CAE’s technical team.

Source: Fiji Airways Aviation Academy
Photo Credit: Fiji Airways Aviation Academy

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Leading Edge Aviation Announces Collaboration with Boeing’s CBTA Learning Library

United Kingdom – Leading Edge Aviation is pleased to confirm its significant involvement in the development and launch of Boeing’s new Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) Learning Library, supporting the continued evolution of evidence-based and competency-focused pilot training.

As one of only four Approved Training Organisations (ATO) selected globally to support the programme, and the sole UK ATO involved, Leading Edge Aviation has worked in close collaboration with Boeing over several years to help shape the Learning Library in line with CAA and EASA regulatory expectations. The material has been developed to support Ab Initio training, where the foundations of Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSA) and professional behaviours are first established.

The CBTA Learning Library provides structured, scenario-based learning and assessment resources that support the development of non-technical competencies, including communication, workload management, decision making, leadership and threat and error management. These competencies directly align with EASA Area 100 KSA requirements and support a systematic approach to training and assessment.

Mark Nunn, Learning Support Manager at Boeing, commented on the collaboration:

“Our collaboration with ATO partners demonstrates our commitment to supporting the development of the next generation of pilots. The CBTA Learning Library provides instructors with the tools and resources needed to deliver consistent, high-quality training and assessment in line with modern competency-based frameworks.”

Throughout the development process, Leading Edge Aviation provided structured feedback from instructors, students and senior management to support the validation and refinement of the Learning Library. This input ensured the material reflects operationally relevant scenarios, and supports objective assessment of observable behaviours, rather than reliance on knowledge-based testing alone.

Dave Alexander, Chief Operations Officer at Leading Edge Aviation, said:

“Being selected by Boeing as the only UK ATO involved in this project reflects our commitment to regulatory compliance, instructional quality and modern training methodology. The CBTA aligns closely with our Whole Pilot® approach and supports the structured development of both technical competence and non-technical skills from the earliest stages of training.”

The CBTA Learning Library is now fully integrated into Leading Edge Aviation’s theoretical knowledge syllabus, providing students with early exposure to competency-based training and assessment principles. Instructors benefit from a standardised framework that supports consistent delivery, continuous performance monitoring and targeted developmental feedback.

This collaboration reinforces Leading Edge Aviation’s position as a forward-thinking ATO, actively contributing to the development and implementation of modern training systems that support safe, effective and resilient pilot performance.

About Leading Edge Aviation
Leading Edge Aviation is a UK Civil Aviation Authority approved training organisation delivering professional pilot training in accordance with UK CAA and EASA regulatory frameworks. The academy adopts a holistic training philosophy that integrates technical instruction with the structured development of non-technical skills, resilience and professional behaviours. Operating from London Oxford Airport and Alhama in Southern Spain, Leading Edge Aviation offers a range of integrated and modular training programmes, including the LEAP (Leading Edge Airline Preparation) course, an integrated programme with BSc degree (UK only), and comprehensive airline selection preparation. Leading Edge Aviation also delivers modular training from its UK base, including Ground School, MECPL, CBIR, MEIR, uMAP, A-UPRT and APS MCC, supported by modern aircraft, qualified instructors and contemporary learning technologies.

Source: Leading Edge Aviation
Photo Credit: Leading Edge Aviation

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