EASA Virtual Academy takes off

The European Aviation Safety Agency announces the names of the first members of the EASA Virtual Academy.

After undergoing a thorough evaluation procedure, CAA International, the Joint Aviation Authorities Training Organisation (JAA TO), the “Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile” (ENAC) and the “Servicios y Estudios para la Navigacion Aerea y la Seguridad Aeronautica” (SENASA) have become members of the EASA Virtual Academy.

EASA launched the Virtual Academy in order to support the National Aviation Authorities in maintaining and developing the competence of their staff. The aim is to make harmonised and high-quality training available to the authorities across Europe, delivered by qualified training organisations. To achieve this, special emphasis is given to the flexibility of the training offer, as well as a far reaching capability in terms of delivery.

The courses that are part of the EASA Virtual Academy focus on regulatory aspects and are specifically designed for authority inspectors. They provide a robust overview of the EU regulations across the spectrum of aviation safety: initial and continuing airworthiness, air operations, aircrew (licensing, medical, Flight Simulation Training Devices), airports, Air Traffic Management / Air Navigation Services. Each course will be followed by an online examination to check the inspectors’ knowledge in the specific area.

Patrick Ky, EASA Executive Director said: “The effectiveness of the EASA System is based on thorough cooperation between EASA and the Member States. Training of staff is a key element of this cooperation. Since safety has no boundaries, the EASA Virtual Academy will expand beyond Europe in the future to promote the EASA system as the leading aviation safety global system”.

The list of courses and training organisations is available on the EASA website. Authorities or inspectors interested in taking one of the courses are invited to contact directly the respective training provider.