It is one of the main aeronautical training centers in Spain. The majority of planes that take off and land in Sabadell are dedicated to training pilots. Communications between the control tower and the new aviators are done in Spanish and English interchangeably. Among those who use English are a good number of students from the Maldives, a country in the Indian Ocean made up of 26 atolls and 1,000 islands more than 8,000 kilometers away.
The reason for their presence is that the aviation authority of this country reached an agreement with the EAS Barcelona school to train new aviators of this nationality, simultaneously with the theoretical classes in the Maldives, where they are the only school Then, the flight practices take place in Spain, where EAS has a fleet of 15 state-of-the-art Tecnam aircraft and an aerobatic Cessna.
"Since our foundation, all the courses we do are intended to train professional pilots. Our fleet is used exclusively for training flights and is not rented out for private trips", emphasizes Jorge García Veguin, head of education at EAS. Between the instructors and the rest of the staff, the workforce is 28 people, plus around fifteen collaborators. Last fall, it took a big leap forward with the inauguration of a new corporate building at the airport, with a hangar for its aircraft, simulators and classrooms, where all classes are taught in English.
In 2022, the aeronautical training firm had a turnover of 4.5 million euros and this financial year foresees a growth of 15%, both in workers and in turnover. On average, each year around 80 students go through the school on the various integrated EASA/ATPL courses and the modular ones. The difference between the two is that the integrated lasts 18 months and the modular training usually lasts longer. Students who have resources and want to finish early, opt for the former. Those who may have more difficulty facing the cost in a short time or do not have full availability, opt for modular.
In any case, to the big question of what is the cost of being a professional pilot, the answer is 92,940 euros. "It is not an economic price, despite the fact that we know this market perfectly. The problem of many schools is the delay in training due to a lack of material or human resources. We always wanted to have more. We are oversized in aircraft, simulators and instructors. This way we can provide a very personalized and resolute service that has led us to a high level of global satisfaction in instruction and training. It allows no student to suffer delays in their training", says García Veguin.
