RMIT Aviation Academy Wins Flight Training Business of the Year at 2026 Australian Aviation Awards

Australia – RMIT University Aviation Academy has won both Flight Training Business of the Year and Training and Mentorship Program of the Year at the 2026 Australian Aviation Awards in Sydney. The dual recognition supports RMIT’s competitive positioning as it targets 25,000 flight hours in 2026 and continues to expand its university-based and airline-linked pilot training activity.

• The Flight Training Business category included Airservices Australia, Australian Jump Pilot Academy, BASE Aviation, GoFly Online, Learn2fly, Trent Robinson Aviation and Wrighton Aviation alongside RMIT.
• The Training and Mentorship category comprised Airservices Australia, RMIT and Sky Careers.
• RMIT had also been a finalist in both categories at the 2025 Australian Aviation Awards. Trent Robinson Aviation won Flight Training Business of the Year that year, while Leidos Australia won Training and Mentorship Program of the Year.
• AFM previously reported that RMIT was named a finalist for both 2026 categories in July, following a period of increased training activity that included more than 100 new student pilots commencing during Semester 1 of 2026.
• RMIT Aviation Academy recorded more than 20,000 flight hours during 2025, its highest annual total at that point, and set a target of 25,000 hours for 2026. Approximately 60 aviation degree students graduated during 2025, while the academy was also supporting VietJet-linked cadet training and the Qantas Group Safety Academy.
• RMIT’s current pilot-training programmes use Cessna 172S, Cessna 182T, Piper PA-44 Seminole and Decathlon 8KCAB aircraft, with flight training conducted from Point Cook and Bendigo. The university also provides instrument and flight-instructor training streams within its aviation programmes.
• RMIT launched the Aviation Academy in 2023 with 24 university-owned aircraft. AFM subsequently reported the lease of four additional Garmin G1000-equipped Cessna 172s in August 2025, taking the operational fleet to 28 aircraft at that time.

Source: RMIT