Market Intelligence: -Flight School

BAA Training, a leading international aviation training provider operating full flight simulator training centers and flight training organisations, has welcomed its April 2024 group of aspiring pilots which will commence their ATPL training at BAA Training’s flight training base in Lleida-Alguaire, Spain.  The April 2024 cohort includes both LuxAir cadets and individual pilots.

In April 2024 BAA Training announced that it had partnered with Luxair, the flag carrier of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, has indicated that it will have “additional flight bases are scheduled for launch in the second half of 2024, with further openings in 2025 and 2026 across other parts of Europe.”.

The company has recently placed an order for 48 Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft to expand its fleet. Under the signed agreement with Luxair the airline will send independently selected pilots to be trained at BAA Training’s flight training facilities in Lleida-Alguaire, Spain, through an ATPL Integrated program. Luxair will pre-finance this training on behalf of these students.

In May 2024 BAA Training announced it had completed the large-scale expansion project of the training facilities at Lleida-Alguaire, Spain. The newly built facilities are an answer to the anticipated increased demand for pilot training due to the ongoing global pilot shortage.

As part of the expansion, the new main building can seat 40 students and a 15-person briefing area, which both allow seamless integration between theory and practice when it comes to student training.

“There has been a strong anticipation for a surge in student enrollment, which placed an emphasis on prioritizing our students’ comfort and training excellence here at our ground and flight schools in Lleida-Alguaire,” explained Joaquin Alejandro Suescun Atencio, Head of Flight School Operations at BAA Training. “That is why we made a strategic decision all the way back in 2022 to design and build new student facilities with those priorities in mind. Not only are we able to accommodate a larger number of students here in Lleida-Alguaire, but we also create an immersive infrastructure for both the faculty and the students.”

These new facilities encompass modern study spaces, well-equipped briefing rooms, spacious lounge areas, refreshing green spaces, and other additional amenities, creating a more effective and suitable training environment for networking and collaboration. The new training facilities have already welcomed their first batch of BAA Training students.

“The training demand to prepare well-rounded airline pilots is growing at a steady pace, that is for sure,” adds Miguel Del Moral, Corporate Strategy Manager at BAA Training. “One of our most popular training programs, the BAA Training Cadet Program, has been at the forefront of tackling that demand. Enrolled students cover all the bases: from theory and flight training all the way to Type Rating and guaranteed job offers at our partners—leading European airlines. The investment made into expanding our Lleida-Alguaire premises is, too, playing a significant role in making the cadet training program that much more attractive.”

BAA Training is part of the Irish company Avia Solutions Group, the world’s largest ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) provider, with a fleet of 212 aircraft. The group also provides a range of aviation services including MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul), pilot and crew training, ground handling, and various associated services. Supported by 12,000 highly skilled aviation professionals, the group operates worldwide.

Source: BAA Training
Photo Credit: BAA Training