Qantas Group has announced that it will train pilots at a new purpose-built center in Sydney to handle the training of its current and future fleet, including aircraft that will operate non-stop flights from Australia’s east coast to London and New York. A new multi-million dollar facility is proposed for St Peters near Sydney Airport and would provide training for up to 4,500 new and current Qantas and Jetstar pilots and cabin crew each year from beginning of 2024.
The center is expected to house up to eight full-motion flight simulators, including for the Airbus A350 and A320 family of aircraft that were recently ordered as part of the airline’s Project Sunrise flights and domestic fleet renewal. from Qantas and Jetstar. The facility will also have stationary flight training devices, emergency procedures equipment with a model aircraft cabin, as well as classrooms and training facilities.
Senior training captains Qantas and Jetstar will train pilots from both airlines while global training provider CAE will maintain the simulators and manage day-to-day operations at the center as part of a long-term partnership. CAE can also provide training to other airlines in the region at the facility. Pilots typically take four sessions a year to keep up to date with their formal qualifications and up to 15 sessions when training for a new aircraft type.
The development is subject to planning approvals, with a bid filed by LOGOS who will develop the center in partnership with CAE and Qantas. The New South Wales government has declared this proposal material to the State and will expedite its review. Qantas has moved simulators from Sydney to Melbourne and Brisbane in 2021 to make way for the NSW government’s Sydney Gateway road project. Sydney-based pilots who currently travel interstate for training will resume training in their home state when this facility opens in early 2024.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the new training center in Sydney will ensure the flag carrier’s high training standards are maintained as it introduces a new generation of aircraft types. “Qantas has been training its pilots and crew in Sydney for over half a century and we look forward to bringing this critical function back to New South Wales with this bespoke facility,” said Joyce. “Sydney will be the launch city for our nonstop flights to London and New York, and will now be the pilot training headquarters for the A350s, which will operate these flights from 2025. As our international network recovers from the impact of COVID and we are expanding our fleet, this new training center will give us the simulator capability to train our new and current pilots.Having flight training centers in all three eastern states, where the majority of our crew, will deliver significant cost savings and efficiencies by training them at their home base.We would like to thank the NSW Government for their support of this world-class facility, which will generate wider economic benefits for the state.
NSW Planning and Housing Minister Anthony Roberts said: “The NSW Government is a proud supporter of Australia’s aviation industry, and efforts like this will help build capacity and ensure that New South Wales and Sydney remain the country’s global travel hub. Our $60 million Aviation Attraction Fund is securing routes, creating jobs and driving visitor spending to accelerate our COVID-19 Road to Recovery and cement NSW as Asia’s leading tourism economy- Peaceful. The New South Wales government said the proposal was important to the state, in recognition of its potential economic benefits and its importance to the aviation industry.
Marc Parent, President and Chief Executive Officer of CAE, said, “As a global leader in civil aviation training, we are delighted to extend CAE’s global network to Sydney, Australia, to support the Qantas Group, a company that shares our unwavering commitment to safety. As operator of more than 50 civil aviation training centers around the world, CAE is uniquely positioned to deliver operational efficiencies to the Qantas Group and provide an exceptional training experience for its pilots.
Qantas’ national flight training footprint includes centers in three states, including the recently opened Qantas Flight Training Center Brisbane, as well as the Qantas Group Pilot Academy in Toowoomba which supports the airline’s long-term talent pipeline airline and her Nancy Bird Walton initiative to reach 40 percent admission of female cadet pilots by 2028.
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