The most advanced pilot training centre in Greece is set to be launched by Aegean and CAE

Aegean Airlines is partnering with Canadian flight simulator provider CAE to set up Greece’s premier advanced flight training center. The airline revealed on March 30th that the center would be equipped with seven full-flight simulators and would operate on green energy, making it the leading flight training hub in southeast Europe.

The new facility, known as the Aegean CAE Flight Training Centre, will be situated in the airline’s 85,000 sq m (915,000 sq ft) technical base at Athens International Airport. It will initially feature four full-flight simulators, including two Airbus A320neos, one Boeing 737NG, and one ATR 72-600, as well as cabin crew training equipment. At full capacity, the center will have the ability to train up to 3,500 pilots and numerous cabin crew each year.

The training center will be powered by green energy generated by 35,000 sq m (377,000 sq ft) of photovoltaic panels located on the Aegean’s “green” hangar. This facility, which is part of Aegean’s €140 million ($152 million) “aviation ecosystem” at Athens International Airport, also includes the country’s first maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility.

According to Aegean, its recent investments are expected to result in the creation of 500 new highly skilled jobs. The airline’s CEO, Dimitris Gerogiannis, believes that this new partnership will help establish the first aviation ecosystem for flight training and technical support services in Greece. Nick Leontidis, CAE’s President of Civil Aviation, says the company is looking forward to seeing the aviation industry flourish in Greece and the entire region.

With a fleet of 76 narrowbody Airbus aircraft, Aegean Airlines plans to renew them with A320neos and A321neos. The Aegean CAE Flight Training Centre is set to begin pilot and cabin crew training by the end of 2023, and it is expected to be the most advanced flight training center in southeast Europe.

Aegean theoretical training courses currently occurs exclusively at the Aegean Training ATO located in Building 53 of Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos,” whereas the majority of simulator training is outsourced to foreign locations and conducted by Aegean Training ATO Instructors/Examiners.