An artists impression of what the new training facility will look like. Source: Qantas.
Qantas has confirmed a multi-million-dollar facility for St Peters near Sydney Airport and will see all future staff eventually trained there.
Set to open early 2024, it’s expected that 4500 Qantas pilots and cabin crew will go through training at this facility on an annual basis.
Trainee pilots will have the opportunity to practice on eight full-motion flight simulators that cover over nine different aircraft models that include the A380, A350 and B787. While classrooms, training facilities as well as aircraft cabin mockups and fixed flight training devices will be available.
Qantas and Jetstar senior training captains will teach new pilots from both airlines with Sydney based pilots set to carry out training in NSW- and not other states- once the facility opens.
CEO Alan Joyce said bringing training back to Sydney will ensure that the quality of Qantas staff continues to be world class.
“Qantas has trained its pilots and crew in Sydney for more than half a century and we look forward to bringing this critical function back to New South Wales with this custom-built facility,” Mr Joyce said.
“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.
“As our international network recovers from the impact of COVID and we grow our fleet, this new training centre will give us the simulator capacity to train our new and current pilots.
“Having flight training centres in all three eastern states, where the majority of our crew reside, will provide significant cost savings and efficiencies by training them at their home base.
The state government has backed the initiative through its $60 million Aviation Attraction Fund.
“The NSW Government has declared the proposal as State Significant, in recognition of its potential widespread economic benefits and importance to the aviation industry,” said NSW Minister for Planning and Homes Anthony Roberts.
