LONDON – Qantas has opened a new pilot training facility at Brisbane Airport, that will provide recurrent training for the airline’s 500-plus Queensland-based pilots as well as pilots from other states.
Located adjacent to Brisbane Airport, the Qantas Group Flight Training Centre is home to four aircraft simulators – Boeing 737, 767F, 787 Dreamliner, and Dash-8 Q400 – as well as a Q400 flight training device.
All simulators are used by pilots to complete their annual sessions of simulator training and specialized training when moving to a new aircraft type.
The simulators were relocated from Sydney to make way for a major road project and were dismantled, transported by road and re-installed at the new Brisbane center over a four-month period.
With the majority of Qantas’ pilots based in the three eastern states, the Brisbane center will provide significant cost savings through training pilots at their home base.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said it would improve the efficiency of the airline’s flight training function and added to Qantas’ sizeable footprint in Queensland.
“Training is a critical part of our business, and the new Brisbane Simulator Facility will play a key role in helping us to maintain the highest standards of pilot skill and experience.
“Having simulators based in Brisbane is great news for our Queensland-based pilots and is a clear vote of confidence in the long-term future of aviation in this country despite the challenges we’ve faced recently.
The training facility will be staffed by 33 team members including 18 new roles for highly skilled simulator instructors, simulator technicians, and support staff.
Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said:
“The industry has been impacted severely over the last couple of years by COVID-19, but as we unite and recover, it’s technology and facilities like this which will play a critical role in our economic recovery.
“This suite of flight training simulators reinforces Queensland’s pre-eminence as a destination of choice for the aerospace and aviation support industries.”
