Atlantic Flight Training Academy revs up for switch to sustainable fuel
The Cork-based flight school has started its transition to powering its aircraft with sustainable aviation fuel
The Atlantic Flight Training Academy has started to transition its 15 training aircraft to burn sustainable air fuel (SAF).
The Cessna 172 training planes will receive new engines that can work with SAF and will also be quieter and more efficient than the previously used models.
SAF is produced from non-petroleum-based renewable sources and can produce up to 90 per lower CO2 emissions than previously used fuels.
AFTA’s new sustainable fuel programme will receive up to 20 per cent funding from Enterprise Ireland’s operational excellence offer fund.
The Cork-based flight school was founded in 1995 by Mark Casey, a commercial airline pilot, and grew to a fleet of over 20 planes.
Fact File
Company: Atlantic Flight Training Academy
Founded by: Mark Casey in 1995
Staff: 65 people
Philip Smythe joined the flight school at its foundation and has become its director of flight safety.
He has witnessed a growing focus on environmental sustainability in the aviation industry over his time with the business.
“The industry has always been focused on innovation to increase cost efficiency, but in recent years the initiative is shifting more towards sustainability.”
As well as pivoting to the use of sustainable fuels, the flight academy is also building more sustainable flying methods into its training.
“Our training programme started to include elements that help to save fuel,” Smythe said. “We teach, for example, how to plan the most efficient flight routes and increase the awareness towards sustainability.”
To further save fuel, AFTA also operates four flight simulators which are used to qualify pilots.
More than 2,000 trainees have successfully graduated since AFTA’s foundation.
Over time, the school established partnerships with aviation companies and airlines. With Ryanair, AFTA runs a mentorship programme in which the school assesses prospective pilots and prepares them to join the airline.
Here they can be trained and rated for Ryanair’s standard aircraft, the Boeing 737.
A similar programme is run in cooperation with private charter jet operators VistaJet and Globeair and cargo outfit Airline Ireland ASL.
Between 14 and 16 students are in each class. AFTA also offers independent training programmes.
“Students can choose between a modular or an integrated programme,” Smythe said. “The modular programme can take several years, as it requires the student to acquire every single licence one by one.”
The integrated programme is a full-time programme that will take 16 to 18 months to complete. At the end of the programme, the graduate can enter commercial aircraft-type ratings.
During the Covid -19 pandemic, the demand for pilots and the teaching programme at AFTA almost came to a standstill.
“With travel restrictions coming into action, there was neither a need for pilots, nor could our students reach us, so we had to considerably dial down our programme,” Smythe said.
The lifting of the travel ban took the pressure off the school, as the need for pilots and commercial aviation started to recover.
“Whatever happens in the aviation industry, we have to adapt to it,” Smythe added. “We have to keep in touch with manufacturers and airlines to keep up the pace on technological advances and integrate them into our programme.”
AFTA employs a staff of 65 people, 40 of whom are instructors. The school also operates its own maintenance facility.
Smythe said that thanks to Brexit, the demand for a flight school in Ireland increased further, since UK flight schools are not part of the European Union Safety Aviation Agency (EASA) any more.
“Student pilots prefer to learn in an English-speaking country, and we are the only English-speaking country in the EASA left,” Smythe added.
Together with the introduction of sustainable aviation fuels, AFTA aims to scale its training efforts further while keeping its fleet up to the most modern standard.
“The life cycle of one of our planes is longer than that of most cars because of the high maintenance standard,” Smythe said. “But after 12 to 15 years we normally change it for a new model to keep our fleet one of the youngest in Europe.”
This Making it Work article is produced in partnership with Enterprise Ireland
