Fair-weather base offers year-round flying for student pilots

Airways Aviation has marked the completion of its fair-weather airline pilot training academy in Huesca, Northern Spain, with a grand opening ceremony held on 30 November, which was attended by staff, students and local dignitaries.

Based at Huesca-Pirineos Airport, Airways Aviation Academy Huesca has already welcomed the inaugural class of 20 trainee pilots and will enrol another 15 this year. Student numbers are expected to grow to more than 100 in 2017.

The company has so far invested more than half-a-million Euros into the region, and has benefitted from €350,000 worth of grants provided by the Aragon government. This funding has enabled the very fast and efficient development of the school and its accommodation, creating a world-class setting for students to study and live.

The CEO of Airways Aviation, says:

“Huesca is an ideal location for an aviation academy, with excellent weather conditions year-round that enable our students to maximise their flying time. With the support of the Aragon government, we’ve invested significant sums to create a world-class facility, with attractive classrooms, student accommodation and operational areas. Airways Aviation’s mission is to set new standards of excellence in airline pilot training and Huesca is a key part of our worldwide network of academies and foundation schools.”

The company aims to continue developing the Huesca academy, with plans including the addition of flight simulators and further operations areas, classrooms and accommodation.

The grand opening ceremony was attended by local VIPs including José Luis Soro Domingo and Gustavo Alcalde from the Government of Aragon; Mayor of Huesca, Luis Felipe Serrate and Airways Aviation’s CEO Ian Cooper. Invited guests were given a tour of the academy and student accommodation and a chance to hear about the progress Airways Aviation has made to date.

The Huesca academy is estimated to have brought €2.7m into the local economy, directly through student fees and indirectly through student spending in the locality. The development, which has taken six months to complete, has already created 13 local jobs, from customer service staff to drivers and flight instructors. Airways Aviation expects this number to rise to more than 20 in 2017.

José Luis Soro Domingo of the Government of Aragon, says:

“The government of Aragon has been pleased to support the creation of the Airways Aviation academy, both through financial grants and our business-friendly policies and procedures. We look forward to a bright future for the academy, as it flourishes and contributes economically to Huesca and the wider Aragon region.”

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