According to the latest Airbus Global Services Forecast, the airline services sector will require an additional 2.3 million trained workers over the next 20 years. In response to this growing demand, Airbus is building a new Training and Flight Operations Campus in Toulouse-Blagnac to enhance its training capacity.
Set to welcome its first cohort of trainee pilots, mechanics, and structure specialists in 2026, the campus will be an architecturally innovative facility capable of enrolling approximately 10,000 trainees annually. It will feature space for up to 12 Full Flight Simulators (FFS) and 12 Airbus Procedure Trainers, alongside structure labs and various training rooms designed for Virtual Reality (VR) and computer-based training. Additionally, the facility will create new office space for around 600 Airbus employees.
This new campus will be the largest of Airbus’s 15 pilot training centers globally and the only one of its kind in Europe. Currently, Airbus operates 43 Full Flight Simulators worldwide, with six available for training in Toulouse. The new facility will replace an existing A330 FFS with a new A330neo FFS and add an additional A350 FFS, increasing the total to seven simulators upon opening.
The Training and Flight Operations Campus will centralize all Airbus Training Services activities in France, integrating teams from Flight Operations and NAVBLUE, Airbus’s flight operations solutions subsidiary. This consolidation is expected to enhance collaboration and expertise, providing a comprehensive training environment that operates 24/7.
“Integrated into our global Airbus Training Services at 22 locations across five continents, this facility will provide an immersive and modern learning experience for our customers in Europe,” said Maia Kuilenberg, Head of Airbus Training Services.
The architectural firms Kardham and Rodrigo Ferrer, along with the French construction firm GIE-Burothèque, have been commissioned for the campus design and construction. Work is set to begin in October 2024, allowing airline customers to continue their training at the current center during the construction phase.
Related Topics:
