Skyborne Airline Academy has announced that it is partnering with Castellón Airport in Spain to establish a fair-weather training base.
Lee Woodward, Chief Executive Officer at Skyborne, said: “With its great facilities, optimum location on Spain’s Mediterranean coast and fantastic weather, we are delighted to be partnering with Castellón Airport. The flight training environment is superb, with modern classrooms and a student crew room overlooking the runway. The airport truly reflects everything we offer at Skyborne and we expect our cadets to thrive when they begin training here later this year.”
The general director of Aerocas, Joan Serafi Bernat, and the director of Castellón Airport, Ivana Guinot, added: “Welcoming Skyborne cadets to train at our facilities is fantastic for both the airport and the region and we are really looking forward to receiving our first group of Skyborne cadets later this year. The partnership stands to have a significant economic and social impact, as the arrival of cadets, instructors and staff will generate various opportunities in Castellón and the surrounding area.”
Meantime IndiGo, India’s largest passenger airline, has announced that it has chosen Skyborne Airline Academy to train up to 100 pilots a year over the next five years, as part of the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme.
The 18-month programme will enable selected cadets to train for a US FAA and Indian DGCA Commercial Pilot’s Licence and Airbus A320 Type Rating, before advancing into employment and flying the line as a First Officer with the Indian airline.
IndiGo’s Captain Ashim Mittra, Senior Vice President – Flight Operations, said: “Our partnership with Skyborne will provide us with a steady flow of highly-skilled, internationally trained airline pilots over the next five years. The Indian aviation market is the fastest developing in the world, undergoing growth of 17% year-on-year. It is expected that airlines in India will require up to 10,000 new pilots by 2030 to meet demand, so we are delighted to have signed this agreement with Skyborne.”
Skyborne cadets will undergo 13 months of US FAA 141 commercial pilot training in Arizona, USA; before returning to India to convert their US FAA licence to an Indian DGCA licence. Cadets then complete a 10-week phase of Multi-Crew Cooperation and Airbus A320 Type Rating at a Skyborne-approved facility.
The location of the Type Rating training will be agreed between IndiGo and Skyborne towards the end of the CPL phase of training.
Lee Woodward, Chief Executive Officer, Skyborne, added: “We are delighted to be working with an airline of such high esteem as IndiGo, supplying them with capable and highly-skilled pilots over the next five years and beyond. We have invested in industry-leading flight training equipment and facilities to ensure our cadets receive the best education and experience possible, and look forward to fulfilling IndiGo’s needs for top professionals in their field over the course of our agreement.”
Skyborne says that it is set to welcome its first intake of cadets in April 2019.
