Poland's Bartolini Air Celebrates 20th Anniversary After Training More Than 2,000 Pilots

Poland – EASA-approved flight training and aviation services group Bartolini Air has marked its 20th anniversary in Łódź, two decades after beginning operations as a three-person flight school with four used aircraft. The group now reports more than 100 personnel, a total fleet of 36 aircraft and more than 2,000 pilots trained, while its activities have expanded into airline pilot training, executive charter, aircraft maintenance, sales and flight-simulator manufacturing.

• Bartolini Air was established in 2006 by Bartłomiej Walas, Jakub Szynklewski and Adam Stawczyk.
• Flight training remains the group's core activity. Bartolini reports more than 2,000 pilots trained and more than 22,000 flight operations annually, with integrated and modular pathways covering training from ab-initio entry through frozen ATPL, APS MCC and advanced qualifications.
• The group now employs more than 100 professionals, operates from four hangars at Łódź Airport and occupies the airport's former passenger terminal for corporate and ground-school activities. Bartolini states that four aircraft in its current fleet are business jets used for executive charter operations.
• Its long-term shift toward a standardized Tecnam training fleet began in 2010 with the acquisition of P2006T serial number 33, SP-DZW; by 2023 Tecnam reported that Bartolini's P2006T fleet had accumulated approximately 26,000 flight hours.
• The academy's airline-linked training activity expanded materially in July 2019 when Ryanair selected Bartolini Air for a mentored pilot training partnership intended at launch to train more than 300 pilots. In April 2024 the relationship transitioned into the Ryanair Future Flyer Academy, with Ryanair announcing plans for more than 400 aspiring pilots to progress through the Polish pathway over the following four years.
• The current Future Flyer Academy pathway provides ab-initio and modular entry routes and incorporates a conditional Ryanair job offer for qualifying participants, with Boeing 737 type-rating training subject to the applicable training agreement. Ryanair currently lists Bartolini among its approved Gateway 0 and Gateway 1 Future Flyer Academy schools.
• Bartolini's 20th-anniversary event in Łódź was attended by representatives from its training and industry partners. Airline Flight Academy Commercial Manager Kilian Hanratty described Bartolini as a key partner, while Ryanair representatives separately confirmed attendance at the anniversary event. Tecnam also participated and highlighted its long-running aircraft-supply relationship with the school.
• Fleet investment has continued during the anniversary year. AFM previously reported that Bartolini Air took delivery of five Tecnam P2008JC NG aircraft in August 2026, with three additional units scheduled shortly afterwards, following earlier expansion with P2006T NG and P-Mentor aircraft.
• Bartolini has also expanded beyond operating training aircraft into training-equipment manufacturing. Its current product portfolio includes the BAS FBXP 0610 FNPT II based on the Tecnam P2006T Mk II, incorporating a replicated cockpit, Garmin G1000 NXi environment, active force-feedback controls and a 220-degree visual system.
• The wider group now includes Bartolini Air Regional, which operates three Cessna Citation CJ1s and one CJ2 for charter activity, and Bartolini Air Maintenance. Bartolini is also an authorised Tecnam dealer in Poland and represents Daher aircraft, while its maintenance activities include support for piston, turboprop and business aircraft. 

Source: Bartolini Air