Jeddah, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA – Prince Sultan Aviation Academy (PSAA) the aviation academy based at Saudi Arabian Airlines headquarters in Jeddah, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have signed an agreement for the PSAA to be an IATA Regional Training Partner (RTP).
Present at the signing agreement ceremony in Jeddah were: His Excellency the Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser; Mr. Muhammad Albakri – Regional Vice President IATA Africa and the Middle East; Captain Ismael Koshy, Managing Director of the PSAA.
Captain Koshy expressed his commitment to the continued development and commitment to training aviation professionals at the academy: “Prince Sultan Aviation Academy has a mandate and mission to provide access to state-of-the-art facilities and excellence in the field of aviation training. We are proud to become an IATA Regional Training Partner and look forward to connecting with new partners in the region and beyond.”
Mr. Albakri remarked: “We are thrilled to have PSAA onboard as an IATA Regional Training Partner (RTP) in Africa and Middle East (AME) region, joining a family of nine RTPs across the region and the second one in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Through this partnership, IATA courses will be promoted, marketed, managed and delivered at PSAA premises.
Continued Mr Albakri: “The aviation industry is geared to continue its growth in demand for air transport in the years to come and meeting this demand will require a skilled workforce to sustain the growth and provide consistently safe and secure services to the travelers. This strategic partnership will support PSAA in responding to the ever-growing training demand in KSA and the AME region and will augment the existing knowledge transfer capabilities of PSAA.
“Already this year over 1,500 aviation professionals have benefitted from IATA training in AME and we look forward to growing these numbers to meet the demand for safe, secure and sustainable air transport industry.”
IATA works with a network of more than 470 partnering institutions located over 90 countries and across every continent, that fall under four categories: IATA Authorized Training Centers (ATCs), IATA Accredited Training Schools (ATSs), IATA Regional Training Partners (RTPs) and IATA Academic Partners.
As an RTP, the aviation academy will offer courses available to IATA members in the areas of:
- Safety Management Systems (SMS) for Airlines
- IOSA Airline Auditor Training
- Root Cause Analysis
- Quality Management (QMS) for Airlines
- Safety Risk Management System
- Emergency Planning and Response for Airlines
- Emergency Planning and Response for Airlines
- Change Management
- Airlines Safety Investigation
- Safety Management Systems (SMS) for Civil Aviation
- Safety Management Systems (SMS) - Implementation and Control
- IOSA Airline Auditor Training
The facilities at the Prince Sultan Aviation academy in Jeddah cover over 20000 m2. It comprises of two buildings:
The Main Building includes 17 state of the art classrooms, lounges, 2 areas for Computer Based Training (CBT) comprising of 180 work stations, 7 Full Flight Simulators (FFS), 5 Flight Training Devices (FTD), 3 Integrated Procedures Trainers (IPT), 2 ALSIM ALX dedicated for Basic Training refresher and Jet Orientation courses, also Management and Instructors offices as well as the Technical Services area and a Cafeteria located in the ground floor.
The Safety Building includes three state of the art classrooms and Lounges, two Cabin Emergency Evacuation Trainers, a Swimming Pool, one Fire Drill area and nine Door Trainers used to train crew members on aircraft emergency exits and doors operation, procedures for normal and abnormal situations.
The process of becoming an IATA RTP includes fulfilling requirements in the areas of:
- Training Facilities
- Available Training aids and equipment
- Administration and Logistics
Prince Sultan Aviation Academy (PSAA) is a Strategic Business Unit of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation and is considered the only Advanced Aviation Training Center in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The academy provides: flight training, ground training, safety training, and skills development training.
The academy provides professional and quality aviation training in compliance with national and International regulations and Safety Standards to Regional and Global commercial air carriers. PSAA was granted the Training Center Certificate by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), hence, it is empowered to operate as an approved Training Center and conduct training courses.