The Qantas Group is set to train pilots at a new multi-million-dollar facility in St Peters near Sydney Airport across its current and future fleet, including the aircraft that will operate non-stop flights from the east coast of Australia to London and New York.
The centre will have around eight full motion flight simulators, including for the Airbus A350 and A320 aircraft, and provide training for up to 4,500 new and current Qantas and Jetstar pilots and cabin crew each year from early 2024.
The facility will also have fixed flight training devices, emergency procedures equipment with aircraft cabin mock-ups and classroom and training facilities.
Senior Qantas and Jetstar training captains will train pilots and global training provider CAE will maintain the simulators and manage day-to-day centre operations as part of a long-term partnership.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the new training facility will ensure the national carrier’s high training standards as it introduces a new generation of aircraft.
“Sydney will be the launch city for our non-stop flights to London and New York and will now be the home of pilot training for the A350s, which will operate these flights from 2025,” he said.
“As our international network recovers and we grow our fleet, this new training centre will give us the simulator capacity to train our new and current pilots.”
New South Wales Minister for Planning and Minister for Homes Anthony Roberts said: “The NSW Government is a proud supporter of Australia’s aviation industry and efforts like this will help strengthen capability and ensures NSW and Sydney remain the country’s global travel hub.”
CAE President and CEO Marc Parent said: “We are thrilled to be expanding CAE’s global network to Sydney to support the Qantas Group, a company that shares our unwavering commitment to safety.”
Qantas has national flight training centres in three states, including the newly opened Qantas Brisbane Flight Training Centre and Qantas Group Pilot Academy in Toowoomba, which supports the airline’s Nancy Bird Walton initiative to reach 40 per cent intake of female cadet pilots by 2028.
For more, head to qantas.com/au
