Airbus Flight Academy and The Aviator Institute from Tunisia join forces to introduce ab initio training in Africa and Middle East

Dubai, UAE, 20 November 2025 – During the Dubai Airshow 2025, Airbus Flight Academy (AFA) and The Aviator Institute (TAI), formerly Safe Flight Academy, announced a partnership agreement to deliver the Airbus ab initio pilot training programme in Tunisia. This collaboration marks the latest addition to the Airbus Flight Academy network, reinforcing Airbus’ commitment to support the next generation of airline-ready pilots worldwide. Each partner flight school applies Airbus’ latest standards and benefits from continuous standardisation and instructor development programmes, ensuring consistent training quality worldwide.

With this new partnership, TAI becomes the first AFA partner in Africa and Middle-East. The agreement supports Airbus’ long-term ambition to meet the aviation industry’s increasing demand for skilled pilots. According to the latest Airbus Global Services Forecast, the aviation industry will require up to 633,000 new pilots globally in the next 20 years, including 89,000 in Africa and Middle-East. 

“Becoming Airbus Flight Academy network’s partner is a recognition of the quality and maturity of our training model. This collaboration accelerates our ambition to position Tunisia as a regional aviation hub and to offer young talents a direct pathway to the cockpit, aligned with the highest training standards”, said Anis Faidi, CEO of The Aviator Institute.

“Through this collaboration, contributing to safe and efficient flight operations worldwide, we continue to expand our ability to serve both airline customers training their cadets and individual aspiring pilots pursuing a self-sponsored path to the cockpit. Our customers can also leverage the network’s training capacity to recruit and secure future pilots early in their development”, said Laurent Negre, Vice President of Customer Services for Airbus Africa and Middle East.

Under the agreement, Airbus will provide expertise and support to align TAI’s operations, instructors and facilities with Airbus’ latest training standards. The first cadets are expected to begin training in March 2026, with a progressive ramp-up to train over 80 cadets per year.

Operating today from both Tunis and Monastir and taking advantage of favorable meteorological conditions, The Aviator Institute brings over 15 years of flight training experience to the Airbus network. Its modern training fleet, including Diamond DA40 and DA42 new generation  aircraft and advanced flight simulators, together with highly qualified professionals, comprehensive facilities and student support services, make TAI ideally suited to host the Airbus ab initio programme.

Source: Airbus (newsroom / press release)