Market Intelligence: -Simulator Training Center

Spain — Madrid based flight training organisation Quality Fly and full flight simulator training center operator Global Training Aviation (GTA) have announced a closer collaboration designed to raise the bar in airline pilot training. The two organizations first partnered in 2021, when the Airline Pilot Standard Multi-Crew Cooperation (APS MCC) course on a new generation Level D Airbus A320 Full Flight Simulator was integrated into Quality Fly’s flagship ATP Integrated program, becoming pioneers in the use of Level D devices for initial pilot training. Since then, the partnership has proved a resounding success, equipping cadets with the airline-ready skills needed in today’s competitive market.

Quality Fly’s 20-month integrated program has set new benchmarks, with graduates now flying for leading carriers including Iberia, Iberia Express, Emirates, Vueling, Corendon Airlines, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Eurowings, Air Europa, Grupo Binter, SAS among others. Notably, a high number of graduates in the past two years have successfully passed airline entry assessments — a testament to the Quality Fly-GTA partnership’s rigorous, airline-focused methodology.

Who is Quality Fly?

Based at Madrid’s Cuatro Vientos Airport and will a highly international profile, Quality Fly has become one of Europe’s most recognized pilot training academies. The school focuses exclusively on the EASA ATP Integrated program, reflecting a commitment to airline-driven training excellence. All instruction is delivered in English, attracting students from more than 45 nationalities.

Quality Fly’s new ATP Integrated Program has been designed to meet the highest standards demanded by leading international airlines. The innovative curriculum follows a theory-before-flight structure, ensuring that each student achieves the highest levels of proficiency in both theoretical knowledge and practical flying skills. It is an approach that both facilitates a shorter, more intense training time, while improving the final performance in both theory and flight phases.

The program incorporates the APS MCC of 40 hours, of which nearly all of the training is done on a Level D Airbus A320 Full Flight Simulator, a Basic Gliding Course, unlimited supervised access to training simulators, a latest generation, oversized, modern fleet with night flight in multi-engine aircraft, professional career guidance, as well as a fully digitalized online campus and flight preparation system.

In total, students complete 220 flight hours and 800 hours of theoretical instruction. The program ensures graduates achieve the nine core pilot competencies defined by Airbus, consolidating their training within a professional airline environment—particularly during the advanced APS-MCC phase with GTA, where real jet experience is included.

Who is Global Training Aviation (GTA)?

Global Training Aviation (GTA) is a company within the Indra group, a leader in the aeronautical training sector. It has developed its own teaching methodology, achieving totally standardized training. This methodology, together with the most innovative didactic techniques and the use of state-of-the-art simulation systems, provides solid training that values both theoretical and practical aspects equally, complemented by a team of professionals always available to the client.

GTA has facilities on 3 continents (Spain, Indonesia, and Colombia), equipped with 6 state-of-the-art Full Flight Simulators, 3 VPT procedure training simulators, an A320 FNPT II simulator, and an Airbus A320 CEET evacuation and emergency simulator for cabin crew training. Its fleet of Level D simulators and its team of airline-experienced instructors have consolidated GTA as a benchmark in the sector.

Over the past five years, GTA has provided APS MCC training to Quality Fly cadets, using Level D simulators and active airline captains as instructors—an asset that few academies can match.

What does the increased synergy mean for future pilots?

Under the strengthened partnership, Quality Fly students will continue to benefit from 40 hours of APS MCC training using GTA’s full-flight simulators, guided by SFI/TRI instructors with active airline command experience. Students will train on the very same Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 simulators used by airlines for pilot assessments, giving them a critical advantage when transitioning to airline selection processes.

In addition, GTA’s facilities in Madrid will become an integral part of Quality Fly’s student experience, providing exposure to cutting-edge training environments from the earliest stages of their careers. New expert airline preparation courses will further reinforce Quality Fly’s value proposition, while exclusive benefits on GTA’s wider training portfolio will be offered to academy students.

A new initiative will also see Quality Fly’s top graduates included in a talent database accessible to GTA partner airlines — directly connecting airlines with highly trained, assessment-ready pilots.

A shared commitment to excellence

Together, Quality Fly and GTA are creating one of the most comprehensive and airline-focused pilot training pathways available in Europe. The collaboration combines Quality Fly’s integrated airline training model with GTA’s unrivalled expertise in simulator-based and airline-transition training, offering future pilots an unparalleled start to their careers.

Looking ahead, both organizations have signalled that more developments are on the horizon. Quality Fly and GTA plan to unveil further initiatives in the coming months, such as the impending arrival of more simulators, all aimed at ensuring current and future Quality Fly students receive the highest standard of airline pilot training available.

Source: Quality Fly