President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended the opening of the International Training Center at the National Aviation Academy on April 8.

Rector of the National Aviation Academy, Academician Arif Pashayev, Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev, and Chairman of the Management Board of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC Samir Rzayev informed the head of state and the First Lady about the activities of the center.

It was reported that the International Training Center was established on the initiative of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC on the territory of the National Aviation Academy. The center is designed for the training of flight crews in emergency situations, as well as for the theoretical and practical training of air traffic control dispatchers.

In the new complex, dispatchers of the “Azeraeronavigation” Air Traffic Control Department will be trained in accordance with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). For this purpose, the Air Navigation Training Center will operate based on the training program of the German Air Navigation Services Academy (DFS), one of the world’s leading air navigation training centers.

The facility is equipped with a TWR tower simulator providing a 360-degree panorama of Heydar Aliyev International Airport, as well as a radar simulator complex for airspace management. These systems allow dispatchers to be trained under conditions close to real operational environments.

The center is also equipped with a modern training simulator complex that enables the improvement of skills for drivers of various special vehicles operating in real airport conditions.

It is planned that approximately 30 air traffic control dispatchers and 3,000 flight crew members will be trained annually at the International Training Center.

In addition, the center has been equipped with a new-generation “A320/A321 NEO CEET” aircraft simulator by the Turkish company “SkyArt,” which specializes in this field and is internationally recognized, to ensure the effective execution of safety procedures inside the aircraft cabin in emergency and accident scenarios. The simulator includes Door Trainers for Boeing 787 aircraft and new-generation Real Fire Fighting Trainers (RFFT) equipment that simulates real fire conditions.

The new training infrastructure will make a significant contribution to strengthening personnel training in the aviation sector in the region, enhancing training opportunities in line with international standards, and developing a competitive national workforce in this field.

As a specialized training structure that carries out personnel training in accordance with modern aviation requirements, the center will play an important role in the formation of both theoretical knowledge and practical skills of aviation specialists.

The equipping of the center with modern technologies and the installation of the latest flight simulators will allow specialists to gain experience in an environment close to real flight conditions, which is of exceptional importance for ensuring overall flight safety.