Global Airline Pilot Training Company CTC Aviation to Open New Crew Training Centre in Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Jan. 28, 2014
CTC Aviation is investing US $7million to equip the new facility, which will have a capacity for up to 200 trainee airline pilots per annum.

UK headquartered CTC Aviation, a world-leading airline pilot training company working with over 50 major airlines globally, in co-operation with Lufthansa Flight Training (LFT), is launching a new airline pilot training centre in Arizona, USA.  CTC Aviation is investing US$7millions to equip the new facility, which will have a capacity for up to 200 trainee airline pilots per annum.

CTC Aviation already has significant flight training operations in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand.  This further investment in a new USA-based operation demonstrates a strong confidence in the growing opportunity to provide both basic and advanced training services in the USA.  A key strength of the CTC Aviation service model is the ability to place pilot graduates into employment through its airline training partner network.

The Company has a strong track-record announcing sales of £41millions for the year ending 30th June 2013 representing a 46% increase on the same period in 2012.  It is also one of the top UK companies in terms of rapidly growing overseas sales. Between 2010 and 2012, its international revenues grew from £622,000 to over £4million.

CTC Aviation trains in the region of 2,000 pilots each year and through this new investment it will grow this number significantly.  The new USA crew training facility will provide additional capacity to train a growing number of pilots for client airlines in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East; as well as enable a real focus upon the changes and recovery in North America and provide more direct access to the high growth markets of South America.

CTC Aviation believes that there are a number of key factors fuelling growth in demand for specialist airline pilot training in the USA, including: a strongly recovering airline sector, an increase in retiring pilots, and enhanced FAA legislation stipulating the way in which all airline pilots must now be trained; a set of circumstances ideally suited to the CTC Aviation training and business strategy.

Research reveals rapidly growing demand for well-trained pilots

North America is already the world’s biggest commercial aviation market and in a study undertaken for CTC Aviation of international senior airline managers and pilots, 67% expect revenues here to grow in the next ten years.  Similarly, 91% anticipate that the number of passengers flying will increase over the next five years.

Enhanced training requirements

The FAA now requires that all pilots flying for FAR121 air carriers in the USA must receive additional training to enhance their skills in both high altitude and low speed flight as well as specialist training in crew communication and management.

Crew Training Centre - Phoenix

CTC Aviation’s new ‘Crew Training Centre – Phoenix’ is based at Phoenix Goodyear Airport, Arizona.  The new company and trainee pilots will be working alongside students of the Airline Training Center Arizona (ATCA) – a Lufthansa Flight Training company – represented by a new ‘Training Alliance’ between LFT and CTC Aviation.  ATCA will also supply both maintenance and instructor training support to CTC Aviation as part of the new ‘Training Alliance’. Cadets will enjoy the extensive sports and leisure facilities at the on-airfield campus.  The first course of trainees is scheduled to commence training in April 2014.

Rob Clarke, Group CEO of CTC Aviation said “The airline industry has been predicting an impending pilot shortage for some time now and the world’s airlines require pilots of all experience levels to help crew their expanding fleets. 

“CTC Aviation has a reputation for supplying both experienced and cadet pilots of excellent quality to our client airlines and we are experiencing an unprecedented increase in demand for our well-trained, high quality pilot graduates.

“North America is a very vibrant and evolving market as well as being the biggest in the world, so having a strong presence here is a significant development for us and with a proven and well respected model, we are confident that it will be well received.

“We are currently exploring a number of new opportunities globally that enable us to increase our capacity.  As more airlines are asking us to develop tailored cadet programmes utilising our existing ‘CTC Wings’ programme as a blueprint, we have identified the opportunity for us to broaden our world-wide presence and deliver our innovative training skills to new clients”.

“It has been a pleasure working with ATCA to create our new Crew Training Centre in Phoenix. Lufthansa Flight Training’s ATCA facility is highly respected within the aviation community and by sharing some mutual resources we enjoy the same common desire to operate a true international centre of excellence” said Rob Clarke.

“We are very much looking forward to working with CTC Aviation,” said Matthias Kippenberg, CEO of ATCA. “Both CTC Aviation and ATCA are consistently geared toward safety, quality, and innovation. This joint philosophy offers an excellent framework for a long-term partnership.”