A new program designed to focus on aviation leadership and flight training is about to land in London.
Fanshawe College has gained the province’s approval for a new commercial flight and aviation leadership program, which is expected to bring new aviation industry opportunities to the London region.
According to a statement released by the college, industry projections suggest a need for 620,000 active airline pilots worldwide by 2036, up from 290,00 in 2017.
David Piccini, parliamentary assistant for the Ministry of Training, College and Universities, told 980 CFPL at a press conference that the newly approved program would train approximately 250 pilots.
“By 2021, right here at Fanshawe [College], we’re going to have the largest aviation school in Canada.”
Fanshawe College is also partnering with Diamond Flight Centre to provide hands-on training and skill development opportunities for students, and Piccini says this is exactly what the government hopes for.
“This is going to create opportunities for mechanism, flight assistants, but importantly, for pilots.”
The program — the first of its kind, according to the statement — is set to attract international and domestic students “to help the fill the demand,” according to Piccini.
The new commercial flight and aviation leadership program is scheduled to launch in the autumn of 2020.
–With files from Sawyer Bogdan