The Fiji Airways Aviation academy has trained and upskilled more than 760 local and international pilots and cabin crew, since its inauguration in December 2019.

And today, the national carrier too things one step further with the commissioning of four new full flight simulators for the Airbus A350 and ATR-72 aircraft and two CAE 500XR fixed training devices for the Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Fiji Airways chief executive officer and managing director, Andre Viljoen said the addition of the new full flight simulators for the A350 and ATR aircraft marked a significant step forward for the Fiji Airways Aviation Academy.

“It highlights our dedication to providing the highest standards of training and safety for our pilots and engineers and reinforces our commitment to establishing Fiji as a regional leader in aviation excellence,” he said.

“By bringing advanced training technology directly to Fiji, we ensure that our pilots and engineers have the tools they need to excel in their careers.”

Since it opened in December 2019, the Fiji Airways Aviation Academy has achieved remarkable milestones, including facilitating the progression of 34 national pilots in seat positions, undertaking 45 Type Ratings for national pilots new to type, supporting 74 foreign license conversions, re-integrating 13 Fijian pilots returning from overseas employment, and providing the venue for training over 600 local cabin crew.

Mr Viljoen said in early 2023, the Board approved an investment in four additional pilot training devices that would double which included a total investment of about $160 million, made up of the original $85 million in Phase 1 and an additional $75 million in Phase 2a. He said with today’s inauguration, the academy houses four full flight simulators covering all of Fiji Airways’ fleet types and four fixed training devices (FTD’s), all ‘ready for training’.