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The Qantas Group will train pilots at a new purpose-built centre in Sydney across its current and future fleet including the aircraft that will operate non-stop flights from the east coast of Australia to London and New York.
A new multi-million-dollar facility is proposed for St Peters near Sydney Airport and would provide training for up to 4,500 new and current Qantas and Jetstar pilots and cabin crew each year from early 2024.
The centre is expected to house up to eight full motion flight simulators, including for the Airbus A350 and A320 family of aircraft that were recently ordered as part of the airline’s Project Sunrise flights and Qantas and Jetstar’s domestic fleet renewal.
The facility will also have fixed flight training devices, emergency procedures equipment with aircraft cabin mock-up, and classroom and training facilities.
Senior Qantas and Jetstar training captains will train pilots from the two airlines while global training provider CAE will maintain the simulators and manage the day-to-day operations of the centre as part of a long-term partnership. CAE may also provide training for other airlines in the region at the facility.ADVERTISEMENTPilots typically do four sessions per year to remain current in their formal qualifications and up to 15 sessions when training for a new aircraft type.
The development is subject to planning approvals, with a submission lodged by LOGOS who will develop the centre in partnership with CAE and Qantas. The New South Wales Government has declared this proposal as state significant and will expedite its assessment.
Qantas relocated simulators from Sydney to Melbourne and Brisbane in 2021 to make way for the NSW Government’s Sydney Gateway road project. Sydney-based pilots currently travelling interstate to do their training will resume training in their home state when this facility opens in early 2024.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the new training facility in Sydney would ensure the national carrier’s high training standards continue as it introduces a new generation of aircraft types.
“Qantas has trained its pilots and crew in Sydney for more than half a century and we look forward to bringing this critical function back to New South Wales with this custom-built facility,” Mr Joyce said.
“Sydney will be the launch city for our non-stop flights to London and New York, and will now be the home of pilot training for the A350s, which will operate these flights from 2025.
“As our international network recovers from the impact of COVID and we grow our fleet, this new training centre will give us the simulator capacity to train our new and current pilots.
“Having flight training centres in all three eastern states, where the majority of our crew reside, will provide significant cost savings and efficiencies by training them at their home base.
“We’d like to thank the NSW Government for its support for this world-class facility, which will generate broader economic benefits for the state.”
The New South Wales Minister for Planning and Minister for Homes Anthony Roberts said, “The NSW Government is a proud supporter of Australia’s aviation industry, and efforts like this will help strengthen capability and ensures NSW and Sydney remain the country’s global travel hub.”
“Our $60 million Aviation Attraction Fund is securing routes, creating jobs and promoting visitor expenditure to accelerate our COVID-19 Road to Recovery, and cement NSW as the premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific.
“The NSW Government has declared the proposal as State Significant, in recognition of its potential widespread economic benefits and importance to the aviation industry.”
CAE’s President and CEO Marc Parent said, “As the global leader in civil aviation training, we are thrilled to be expanding CAE’s global network to Sydney, Australia to support the Qantas Group, a company that shares our unwavering commitment to safety.
“As the operator of 50+ civil aviation training centres around the world, CAE is uniquely positioned to provide operational efficiencies to the Qantas Group and deliver an exceptional training experience for their pilots.”
Qantas’ national flight training footprint includes centres in three states including the newly opened Qantas Brisbane Flight Training Centre, as well as the Qantas Group Pilot Academy in Toowoomba which supports the airline’s long-term pipeline of talent and its Nancy Bird Walton initiative to reach 40 per cent intake of female cadet pilots by 2028.

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Sudhin Shahani, Co-founder & CEO, Surf Air Mobility
Surf Air Mobility and Tuscan Holdings have jointly announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement resulting, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions, in Surf Air Mobility becoming a publicly listed company.
The acquisition of Southern, also announced today, and the completion of the business combination with THCA (together, the “Transactions”) positions SAM to be a leader in the electrification of commercial aviation, providing it with resources necessary to bring electrified powertrain technology to market and expanding and electrifying regional consumer scheduled and charter flight services. Following completion of the Transactions, and the successful deployment of SAM’s proprietary powertrain technology, SAM plans to deploy the world’s largest fleet of hybrid electric aircraft on regional routes being serviced today and on additional routes in new markets. SAM intends for its hybrid electric propulsion to reduce operating costs and reduce emissions from regional air travel by offering original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) and third-party operators the ability to upgrade existing aircraft to hybrid electric powertrains.
“We believe deploying hybrid electric propulsion technology on existing aircraft at scale will be the most significant step we can take toward decarbonisation of aviation in this decade,” said Sudhin Shahani, Co-founder and CEO of Surf Air Mobility. “We’re at a moment when the increasing consumer demand for faster, affordable, and cleaner regional travel will be met with SAM’s electrification ecosystem to accelerate the industry’s adoption of green flying.”
SAM’s agreements with AeroTEC and magniX will help the Company accelerate the introduction of its proprietary electrification technology. magniX has successfully flown the world’s largest fully-electric aircraft to date, a prototype Cessna Grand Caravan 208B, which it calls the eCaravan. SAM is designing its initial hybrid electric Cessna Grand Caravans to have the same flight range capabilities as their fully combustion counterparts, which will allow the Company to utilise the hybrid electric Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft across its own existing network, connecting more airports with direct flights and building a regional mass transport platform to sustainably connect communities across the U.S. SAM also intends to make hybrid electric powertrain upgrades available to fleet owners on and off its consumer platform, as well as license its technology to OEMs for new aircraft types.
SAM’s proprietary electrified propulsion technology, once developed, would target carbon emission reductions of up to 50% on its first-generation Cessna Grand Caravans, helping to reduce the 915 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted by the aviation industry globally per year. By targeting direct operating cost reductions of up to 25% on its first-generation Cessna Grand Caravans, lower cost point-to-point flight networks can connect previously economically untenable markets with non-stop and direct, regularly scheduled flights. SAM’s initial hybrid electric aircraft will not require charging stations, new takeoff and landing infrastructure, or changes to zoning, allowing the aircraft to operate anywhere in the U.S., unlocking more air travel potential for over 5,000 underserved public airports.ADVERTISEMENT“Surf Air Mobility’s practical approach to scaling the decarbonisation of aviation is built on a base of tangible revenue, industry-leading electrification technology, and significant growth prospects for the future,” stated Stephen A. Vogel, Tuscan Holdings. “Surf Air Mobility’s management team is first class, and with their leadership we have confidence this transaction will enable the Company to reach its true growth potential.”
SAM’s planned acquisition of Southern Airways Corporation (“Southern”), subject to satisfaction or waiver of the remaining closing conditions set forth in the Southern Agreement, including the completion of all required regulatory reviews and approvals, is expected to expand the companies’ collective regional airline network to U.S. cities across the Mid-Atlantic, Gulf South, Rocky Mountains, West Coast, New England, and Hawaii, where Southern currently operates. Southern Airways Express operates the largest passenger fleet of Cessna Grand Caravans in the U.S. SAM intends to electrify Southern’s existing fleet utilising the Company’s proprietary electrified propulsion technology.
“Surf Air Mobility is positioned to bring benefits to consumers quickly while creating opportunities for the entire aviation industry. Our hybrid electric propulsion technologies will be the building blocks upon which reduced operating cost and green aviation can be realised,” stated Surf Air Mobility’s Chairman, Carl Albert. “We’re thrilled to be merging with THCA as they share our ambition of advancing the future of flight for the good of people and the planet.”

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