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20th European Airline Training Symposium returns “in full force”

The 20 th European Airline Training Symposium (EATS) has returned “in full force” for the first time post-pandemic, with over 900 delegates and 50 exhibitors gathering in Berlin for a two-day event.

Billed as “Europe’s number one civil aviation training event,” EATS typically combines networking opportunities, speakers, seminar sessions and exhibitors with attendees from over 50 countries. “It is increasingly important that the community meets to exchange ideas, validate processes and check new thinking and technology,” note EATS.

The most recent event included a senior group of speakers from EASA, who highlighted the need for their organisation to embrace new technologies and move to better training methodologies. Alongside citing the need to improve delivery of Competency Based Training (CBT) courses, EASA also mentioned a number of proposals currently under consideration, including the ‘single core training for all instructor certificates’ and the possibility of cross-crediting across different certificates.

Noting the desire to “renew Theoretical Knowledge (TK) training for the CPL,” making the learning objects “more proportionate to the tasks commonly undertaken by CPL holders,” EASA representatives noted that the current European Central Question Bank is “not perfect” – citing “known incorrect questions”. Deciding whether the seriousness of the situation warrants legislative change, consideration is being given to an event late this year “specifically to invite industry views,” with decisions to be made in 2025 / 2026 at the earliest.

An ATO ‘Break Out’ session at EATS also offered flight schools the opportunity to share their experiences. Thomas Leoff of Lufthansa Aviation Training supported the proposal to modernise Theoretical Knowledge training, also noting that while airlines look for risk-adverse individuals in the cockpit, this stands at odds with the £100,000 training costs applicants are expected to “gamble”. The financial issue was further highlighted by another senior industry figure who voiced his concern that cost represented the largest factor preventing potential candidates from taking up training,

Although the challenges of attracting ‘Gen Z’ individuals into an airline career are considerable – a sentiment shared by Colin Rydon, CEO of Pilot Flight Academy in Norway – the EATS conference concluded that demand for professional pilots remains relevant as ever, something shared in the optimistic atmosphere at the event.

This year’s 21 st annual event is scheduled to be held at the Estoril Cascais, Portugal, from Tuesday  7 to Wednesday 8 November 2023. Since its inception in Stockholm in 2002, the event has subsequently visited Frankfurt, Vienna, Amsterdam, Prague, Madrid, Warsaw and Istanbul; locations reflecting its international appeal.

The European Airlines Training Symposium typically attracts 900 attendees from over 50 countries.

More information can be found here.

Author: FTN Editor

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