Air Tanzania will this year send 28 pilots and aircraft engineers for training at the Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Academy in Addis Ababa in order to cut staff training costs, reports African Aerospace.

Air Tanzania Company Limited Managing Director Ladislaus Matindi said a preliminary agreement on the training programme was reached following a meeting with Ethiopian Airlines officials. By training its pilots in Ethiopia, the company will save up to $500 per hour, when compared to the cost of the same training programme in the United Kingdom and Canada. "We are now waiting for approval from the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCCA) before we send the staff because it is a requirement for the aviation services regulator to certify the training institutes for our experts. "Ethiopian Airlines has well equipped training and maintenance facilities and we can benefit from their expertise. The training will be for new pilots and continuing programmes for those already inservice," Matindi said. However, he said the airline would continue to send some pilots to Canada for training on operation of the new Bombardier aircraft due to be delivery before July this year. The training is a culmination of bilateral air services training discussions held between Tanzanian President John Magufuli and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn last year. Among other opportunities for bilateral co-operation, the two leaders agreed to intensify aviation training and maintenance learning and exchange programmes.

Ethiopian Aviation Academy provides training for pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, cabin crew, marketing personnel and leadership development trainees.

The Academy is certified by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, the U.S Federal Aviation Administration, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and IATA Safety Audit (IOSA).