Boeing partners with 43 Air School to offer pilot training in Africa

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Boeing is partnering with 43 Air School to offer a new pilot training programme as it expands its partnerships in Africa.

Participants in the programme will benefit from training at the “ab initio,” or basic, level, delivered by 43 Air School, and at the commercial jet level, delivered by Boeing. The three-phase programme is designed to provide a candidate with no prior flying experience the opportunity to progress through training to full competence and accreditation – from basic instruction through jet training. Programme graduates will be qualified as a Boeing Next-Generation 737 First Officer.
“There is a shortage of advanced training and suitable schools which are specifically preparing pilots for flying airlines [like Boeing] which is what we do,” said Attie Niemann, chief executive officer of 43 Air School. “What Boeing does now when they sell their aircraft is also supply the trained pilots, whether the pilots are from that country, or not.”
“We foresee that we will train between 150 and 300 pilots a year when this programme comes into full swing,” he said, adding that 43 Air School already has a programme which identified pilots-in-the-making from disadvantaged communities and trained them up. “If a candidate from the local community shows the right credentials for this [Boeing] programme, we will train them,” Nieman added.

Phase One of the programme will take cadets through basic flight instruction at 43 Air School. Phases Two and Three continue with Boeing Flight Services Jet Bridge and Type Rating programmes completed at any Boeing training campus around the world. Boeing has a network of 19 training campuses on six continents.
“Boeing is working to provide expanded access to flight training solutions in all regions of the world, enabling airlines to reduce their overall training costs as well as help meet the increased demand for pilots,” said Roei Ganzarski, chief customer officer, Boeing Flight Services. “Over the next 20 years there is a global need for hundreds of thousands of new airline pilots. Through partnerships like this we’re working to expand the pool of pilots from which airlines can select.”

Upon completion of training, graduates will have earned a private pilot license, with multi-engine and instrument ratings and commercial/multi-engine qualification and a type rating in a Next-Generation 737 or other models, as the market requires.
“Boeing is one of the largest aerospace companies operating in the region, partnering with commercial aerospace suppliers Aerosud Aviation PTY Ltd., and Denel Aerospace. The addition of 43 Air School to the Boeing portfolio of partners is a further investment in supporting Africa’s leadership in the aviation industry,” said J. Miguel Santos, director, International Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Flight crew training is going to be a critical focus in Africa as we seek to provide the necessary human resources to operate airline fleets to meet the region’s market demands.”