Alpha Aviation Group (AAG), the specialist global aviation training provider, and Air Arabia have signed a joint venture agreement to launch a new multi-million dollar International Aviation Training Academy based in Sharjah, UAE.

AAG is the second of Alpha’s global network of International Aviation Academies and will be modelled on its existing academy, Clark Aviation, based in the Philippines. In addition to satisfying Air Arabia’s own internal needs for pilots to man its expanding fleet of aircraft, the academy will also train and supply pilots for other carriers in the region, said an official spokesman.

The deal was signed at the Dubai Air Show.

Operations are scheduled to commence in early 2008, training ab-initio airline pilots under the new ICAO Multi Crew Pilot Licence. Phase II will extend operations to include training for cabin crew, engineering and other aviation operational personnel. Following ongoing discussions with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the application for approval of the Academy is in process.

“We have already communicated to Air Arabia that we are fully supportive of their plans to establish a joint venture with Alpha Aviation Group to create an International Aviation Academy in Sharjah training ab-initio MPL pilots,” said director general of the GCAA Mohammed Ghanim Al Ghaith.

“The Gulf region is strategically very important in our global network strategy, and we are delighted to embark on this venture with Air Arabia, the Middle East’s leading LCC, to create a world-class International Aviation Academy serving the needs of the rapidly expanding aviation sector in the region,” said CEO, Alpha Aviation Group Ltd, Mark Pearson.

Air Arabia, which currently operates a fleet of 11 Airbus A320 aircraft, announced earlier during the Dubai Air Show the signing an agreement with Airbus to purchase up to 49 A320 aircraft. The carrier has also said it will open a second hub in Morrocco to serve the Europe, Middle East and Africa markets. – TradeArabia News Service