CAPTION: Air Pacific pilots who are undergoing A330 training in Miami.
Nadi, Fiji – National airline Air Pacific is well on its way towards preparing to receive and fly its new A330 aircraft.
The first lot of local pilots to fly the incoming A330s are undergoing training at the Airbus Training Facility in Miami, Florida, United States.
The intensive six-week training will see the eight pilots get certified to fly the A330-200s.
This transition training will cover everything from learning Airbus aircraft systems and fly-by-wire design philosophy to flight training in full motion and full visibility flight simulators.
It is expected that over fifty Air Pacific pilots will ultimately undergo the transition training process that is required to move them from flying B747 / 767 / 737 aircraft into the new Airbus A330s, which will arrive this March (19TH), May and November.
“Once local pilots have completed their A330 transition training and passed their theory examinations and regulatory check-rides, they will then start flying the new aircraft and getting their initial operating experience with the assistance of experienced instructors from Airbus as well as other highly qualified and experienced A330 pilots and instructor pilots from overseas,” said Air Pacific Chief Pilot Captain Josua Cavalevu.
“We do expect to hire some highly qualified A330 pilots and instructors from overseas while we train our local pilots and ensure our flight operations team get their Airbus qualifications and gain flight and operational experience flying our new fly-by-wire A330 aircraft. We will also expect to need some B747 and B737 pilots from overseas to crew our existing aircraft while we train and transition our local pilots on the new aircraft.”
“Fijian pilots are already excellent aviators, and they will now undergo world-class training and transition programs to prepare to fly Airbus A330s,” added Dave Pflieger, Air Pacific’s Managing Director and CEO.
“This means they will further strengthen their skills, experience and reputation and contribute to Fiji’s already strong corps of aviation professionals.”
Press Release