Market Intelligence: Europe

Czech Republic Based Flight Training Group F Air Welcomes 10th Batch of Cadets from the Middle East

One of Europe’s largest flight training organisations when measured by aircraft fleet size, Czech Republic based F AIR, has announced the commencement of a new group of student pilots from United Arab Emirates based aviation and pilot training group T3 Aviation Academy. This marks the continuation of a successful collaboration between the two organizations with F Air now having received its 10th batch of cadets from T3 Aviation Academy.

In August 2022 T3 Aviation Academy which operates the world’s longest running Multi-Crew Pilot License Program had announced that it has partnered with the largest Flight School in the Czech Republic, F Air, as another flight training location through which its cadet pilots will do their core flying phase of training.

Source: F AIR
Photo Credit: F Air

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Global Leader in Industrial Virtual and Mixed Reality Solutions, Varjo, Opens New Facility in Finland to Meet Growing Defense Demand

Helsinki, Finland – Varjo, the global leader in industrial virtual and mixed reality solutions, has opened a new secure manufacturing facility in the greater Helsinki region in Finland. This expansion will enable Varjo to meet the increasing demand for its high-resolution XR solutions in defense training and simulation, with a projected total addressable market (TAM) in training simulations alone expected to reach approximately $900 million by 2027.

The new secure manufacturing facility, with full on-site staff, features secure production and warehouse areas, a product and process development area, including reliability testing, and an audio development section.

This milestone is driven by the growing demand from Varjo’s defense customers and the company’s close collaboration with Cole Engineering Services Inc. (CESI), the key contractor for the U.S. Army’s Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer (RVCT) program. Varjo was chosen as the XR technology provider for the RVCT Air program in 2023, enabling a portable training capability for three different helicopters: Apache, Chinook, and Blackhawk.

Eric Carr, Program Director for RVCT at CESI, emphasized the importance of Varjo’s technology in enhancing defense training simulations. “Varjo was selected for the RVCT program because of its ability to provide a mixed reality solution with high-resolution visuals, meeting the demanding requirements of the program. The Varjo XR-4 Secure Edition headsets offer high-resolution imagery for both mixed reality and synthetic environments, and their TAA-compliant manufacturing process makes them ideal for high-security settings.”

Major Brandon Dotson, Assistant Product Manager for the RVCT, highlighted the critical role of XR and VR in military training.  “The RVCT uses XR and VR to simulate scenarios like driving tanks and flying helicopters, providing an immersive experience that is crucial for effective training. The whole point of RVCT is to make training easier and accessible to Soldiers at the lowest echelon. Historically, training required large facilities and dedicated teams of contractors, but now we’re pushing that capability down to the Soldier, making it as easy and intuitive as possible to execute training.”

“Varjo’s technology plays a vital role within the U.S. Army’s synthetic training program, providing soldiers with a fully immersive, highly realistic training environment where they can interact with physical controls in real-time. The close partnership between Varjo and CESI has been instrumental in ramping up our new secure manufacturing capability. Our new facility ensures that Varjo can meet the high-security requirements of our governmental customers while supporting the rapid growth of XR demand in the defense sector,” said Timo Toikkanen, Varjo CEO.

Varjo’s commitment to providing the most advanced XR technology for emerging use cases such as training Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators is reinforced by this new facility. By establishing a secure manufacturing base, Varjo is well-positioned to support the evolving needs of defense personnel, ensuring they are well-prepared for the challenges of modern combat.

Source: Varjo
Photo Credit: Varjo

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Latvian Airline, airBaltic, Continues 2024 Recruitment Drive with Over 200 Open Job Positions Including Pilots

Riga, Latvia – As a part of reflecting the company’s ongoing growth, the Latvian national airline airBaltic is continuing active recruitment. At the moment, the airline is offering more than 200 open job positions across various departments, including Cabin Crew, Pilots, Technicians, Commercial, and more.

Currently, airBaltic has 120 open positions for Cabin Crew, with 40 positions available in each Baltic capital – Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius. Furthermore, the airline is hiring Captains (with ICAO and EASA ATPL licenses) and Senior First Officers (with a fast-track command) for the Airbus A220-300 aircraft. For qualified professionals in both pilot positions who join airBaltic between September 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025, the airline will provide a sign-up bonus of EUR 15 000 gross for Captains and EUR 10 000 gross for Senior First Officers.

Moreover, airBaltic’s Technical department offers such open vacancies as Aircraft Mechanic with aviation background, Aircraft Certifying Technician (B1 or B2), Aircraft Interior Restoration Mechanic, and others. Additionally, the airline offers a variety of office positions, including Revenue Management, Marketing, IT, Human Resources, Flight Operations, and others.

Alīna Aronberga, Senior Vice President Human Resources at airBaltic: “As airBaltic’s fleet grows, our network expands, and the scope of our operations increase, we are also expanding our team with over 200 new positions across multiple departments. Whether you are a recent graduate or an experienced professional considering a new career path, we invite you to apply and come under our wing at one of Europe’s fastest-growing airlines, where we offer excellent benefits and career growth opportunities.”

Recently, airBaltic announced plans to continue expanding across the Baltic States by establishing new crew bases in Tallinn and Vilnius. Moreover, starting as of January next year, the airline will implement a salary increase and improvements in crew rosters with more days off for both – pilots and cabin crew.

Last month, the airline launched its Technical Academy, where the first 57 students began their studies in three specialized programs – RTU airBaltic Program, LVT airBaltic Program and Mechanics Program – in collaboration with Riga Technical University, Liepaja State Technical School, and the exclusive airBaltic Mechanics program, respectively.

Meanwhile, the widely known airBaltic Pilot Academy is accepting applicants as well. Currently, there are 136 active students, the majority of whom are from the Baltic countries, although there are also students from other EU countries. Overall, more than 10% of airBaltic Pilot Academy students are female. As for now, 112 students, after graduating, have joined the airline.

airBaltic currently employs more than 2 600 professionals and is actively recruiting for various positions. The airline currently offers 43 open vacancies to attract over 200 new talents. For several years, airBaltic has been consistently recognized as the Top Employer in various nationwide and worldwide surveys.

airBaltic operates more than 130 routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere and, seasonally, Gran Canaria, offering connections to a wide range of destinations in the airline’s route network in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus region. A complete schedule of airBaltic flights and tickets are available on the company’s homepage at www.airbaltic.com

About airBaltic
airBaltic (Air Baltic Corporation AS) is the leading airline in the Baltics and one of Europe’s fastest growing carriers. As a hybrid airline, it leverages the upsides of both traditional network and low-cost carriers. Through a network of more than 130 routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere and, seasonally, Gran Canaria, airBaltic connects the Baltics with over 80 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus. Founded in 1995, today airBaltic operates one of Europe’s youngest fleets, consisting of 48 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, and employs over 2 600 professionals. The company is majority-owned by the Latvian state, which holds a 97.97% stake, with the remaining 2.03% owned by private shareholders.

airBaltic’s commitment to excellence is recognized by numerous prestigious awards including the Best Airline in its region by Skytrax for three consecutive years. In 2022, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) recognized airBaltic with the Diversity and Inclusion Team Award, and in 2023, the company received the APEX Passenger Choice Award for Best Cabin Service in Europe. In 2024, the airline was awarded the PROS AI Innovator Award for leveraging AI to drive transformative outcomes and optimize operations.

Source: airBaltic
Photo Credit: airBaltic

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Global Pilot Training Group Skyborne Deploys Large Group of UK Trainees for Flight Training to Vero Beach, Florida Campus

Global pilot training group Skyborne, which operates flight training bases in the United Kingdom and the United States, has shared that it’s next group of trainees in Gloucestershire, UK is set to embark on the second stage of their training after successfully completing Ground School – conducting flight training in Vero Beach, Florida, USA.

The batch includes trainees from British Airway’s Speedbird Pilot Academy.

Source: Skyborne
Photo Credit: Skyborne

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