Deal signed for first aviation school in Oman

Muscat: Oman will get the country’s first aviation academy after a deal was struck by the Omani Authority for Partnership for Development (OAPFD) and other shareholders.
The Oman Aviation Academy (OAA) is considered to be the first aviation training company to be established in Oman, in cooperation with Airbus Helicopters.
The Academy will be based in the Sohar Airport and is expected to be operated by CAE, a leading civil and defence aviation training company, with approximately 160 training sites around the world.
Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, Minister of Commerce and Industry and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Authority, stressed on the importance of the new project and how it is the first of its kind in the Sultanate.
“This important agreement reflects the strategic partnership between the Sultanate and shareholders companies and it will play role in supplying the local aviation sector with pilots, either in the civil or military sector,” Al Sunaidi said.
“The Oman Aviation Academy is an educational training platform that will contribute to promoting the education sector through the development of a new training curriculum. We hope that through this project, the Sultanate will become the first destination for neighbouring and regional countries to benefit from the training and educational services in the field of aviation sector,” he added.
OAA facilities will be built with capacity for producing 150 trainees. It will include an aircraft hangar, student accommodation, tower and a taxiway. The construction works will begin in the last quarter of 2017.
The academy will be equipped with the latest specifications and standards and will be equipped with nine single-engine piston aircraft and four twin-engine aircraft for flight training and simulators.