Keilir Aviation Academy is the first Icelandic aviation school to opperate ATPL training abroad, with the first pilot students arriving at the KAA training site Barcelona earlier this summer. Pilot training now takes place both at Keilir main campus at Keflavik International Airport in Iceland and in Sabadell, just outside of Barcelona, Spain.
Keilir has been working on an external training facility in Southern Europe for some time and with the addition of an auxiliary flight training base in Spain the school is now able to offer wide recognized high-quality flight training in only 16-18 months. Keilir Aviation Academy cadets will fly a total of 3.000 hours annually at the Spanish location.
The first group of eleven ATPL course cadets have already begun their eight week training cycle at Keilir location in Spain with more students to follow. According to Head of Training, Snorri Páll Snorrason, Keilir Aviation Academy has made a huge step by elaborating the training and quality control systems that may be implemented on various training locations all around the Europe, bringing the Academy to a brand-new quality level. By providing cadets with flight training in a different environment than they are used to operate in, they have a better opportunity to develop awareness of the international environment, culture and climate. "All this is very important for the future airline pilot", adds Director of Business Development, Andrej Vankov.
The aviation industry is one of the most rapidly growing business sectors and the demand for aviation personnel is high. Reducing the time to obtain ATPL is therefore vital for both current cadets as well as the industry. "The vast majority of our cadets are employed by local and European airlines even before they finish the ATPL training course. So, making them available for the job market at shorter time is our priority", says Keilir Aviation Academy Director Mr. Runar Arnason.
Well over two hundred professional pilot students have graduated from Keilir Aviation Academy since the school was established in 2008 as well as numerous private pilots. To meet a growing interest, Keilir purchased four new Diamond DA40 training aircraft this year bringing the total number of aircraft at the flight school to a total of fourteen. Keilir now operates one of the most sophisticated fleet of Diamond training aircraft in Europe which includes DA20, DA40 and DA42 aircraft, as well as a full motion Redbird MCX flight simulator and a brand-new Diamond DA42 Flight Simulator which will greatly enhance opportunities and training possibilities at the school.
Currently over two hundred pilot students are enrolled in professional pilot programs at Keilir Aviation Academy, a number that has grown exponentially over the past few years.