South African aviation training organization ALT Academy and European aerospace manufacturer Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding on September 16, 2026, to jointly develop aircraft maintenance training programs aimed at closing the continent’s persistent maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capacity gap.

The agreement, formalized at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) Expo 2026 in the City of Tshwane, South Africa, seeks to align academic instruction with current industry requirements. According to a press release issued by ALT Academy, the partnership will focus on creating a pipeline of highly skilled aviation maintenance professionals to support Africa’s growing aviation ecosystem.

Addressing Africa’s MRO capacity shortfall

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) identified insufficient MRO capacity and a shortage of skilled personnel as primary challenges for regional operators during the African MRO Conference in Addis Ababa earlier in 2026. The reliance on off-continent maintenance facilities currently results in higher costs and extended aircraft downtime for African airlines.

According to reporting by the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, Airbus forecasts that Africa will require 30,000 new aircraft mechanics over the next 20 years to sustain its fleet growth and operational demands. The new MoU aims to address this specific shortfall by bridging the gap between foundational academic training and the technical requirements of modern aircraft maintenance.

Nam-Binh Hoang, Airbus Country Representative in South Africa, stated in the release that the partnership combines the manufacturer’s learning solutions with ALT Academy’s practical education focus to meet the evolving demands of the sector.

Expanding regional training infrastructure

The Airbus MoU follows a separate strategic expansion announced by ALT Academy on September 11, 2026. According to African Pilot, the organization partnered with WECAIR to launch a professional pilot training program spanning the United States, Europe, and Africa, culminating in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) license. The dual focus on pilot and maintenance training indicates a broader effort to localize aviation skills development within South Africa.

Ryan van Wijk, CEO of ALT Academy, emphasized the necessity of manufacturer involvement in technical education to ensure regulatory and safety standards are met.

“Modern aircraft demand a level of technical training that is difficult to build in isolation. This partnership is an important step in our commitment to building practical, high-quality maintenance training capacity in South Africa, and it gives us the opportunity to explore how current manufacturer knowledge and learning solutions can be made more accessible to learners and to industry, while holding a firm line on safety, quality and regulatory requirements, for the benefit of operators across the continent.”

AirPro News analysis

We view the ALT Academy and Airbus partnership as a pragmatic step toward addressing a critical bottleneck in African aviation. While aircraft orders from African carriers have increased, the localized infrastructure required to maintain those fleets has lagged. By embedding original equipment manufacturer (OEM) standards directly into regional training curricula, this initiative could reduce the long-term dependency on European and Middle Eastern MRO providers. The success of the MoU will depend on the speed at which these training frameworks can be operationalized and scaled to meet the projected demand for 30,000 mechanics over the next two decades.

Sources: EPT Aviation / ALT Academy

Türkiye-headquartered flight simulator manufacturer HAVELSAN is rapidly expanding its commercial aviation training footprint, securing new orders for its Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320 family full flight simulators while constructing a high-capacity production facility in Ankara.

In press releases issued on August 31 and September 1, 2026, the company confirmed its Boeing 737 MAX full flight simulator (FFS) orderbook has grown to five devices. Concurrently, HAVELSAN announced orders for six additional Airbus A320 family training devices, building on the five A320 simulators it already has in operation.

Narrowbody simulator orderbook growth

The recent orderbook expansion is heavily supported by Turkish Airlines (TK). Following the delivery of its latest order for two devices, the national carrier will operate five HAVELSAN-built Boeing 737 MAX simulators.

HAVELSAN noted that eight different airlines and pilot training centers have conducted evaluation fly-outs on its Boeing 737 MAX FFS. All of the manufacturer’s full flight simulators currently in operation have achieved European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA”>EASA) qualification, a critical regulatory benchmark for international sales.

Infrastructure expansion in Ankara

To support the growing backlog of its STARLINE simulator portfolio, HAVELSAN is executing a major infrastructure investment. In March 2026, the company broke ground on a new 17,000-square-meter Simulator Production and Integration Facility in Ankara.

Scheduled to enter service in 2027, the new plant will allow the company to produce up to 30 simulators annually. The facility is designed to support the simultaneous development and integration of 16 devices. Once operational, HAVELSAN’s total infrastructure capacity in Ankara will reach 40 commercial and military simulators.

Strategic market positioning

The narrowbody simulator announcements follow a major July 2026 agreement with Turkish Airlines for 12 new training devices, comprising eight full flight simulators and four flight training devices. That agreement also marked HAVELSAN’s strategic entry into the wide-body aircraft simulation market.

Beyond its domestic market, the company is actively targeting international operators. HAVELSAN recently showcased its STARLINE portfolio at the Asia Pacific Aviation Training Summit (APATS) 2026 in Singapore, aiming to capture demand from Asia-Pacific carriers expanding their narrowbody fleets.

AirPro News analysis

We view HAVELSAN’s concurrent investments in production capacity and EASA qualification as a clear strategy to transition from a regional defense supplier into a global commercial aviation training provider. By scaling its manufacturing infrastructure to support 30 simulators annually, the company is positioning itself to compete directly for narrowbody training contracts against established tier-one simulator manufacturers. The entry into wide-body simulation with Turkish Airlines will likely serve as a critical proof of concept for future international campaigns.

Sources: HAVELSAN (Boeing 737 MAX), HAVELSAN (Airbus A320)

Aviation training provider CPaT Global has secured a partnerships with Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) to supply digital pilot training solutions for the Japanese freight operator’s Boeing 747-8 freighter crews.

In a press release issued on September 1, 2026, CPaT Global confirmed the agreement will support approximately 200 pilots. The partnership provides NCA with a centralized digital learning environment that integrates CPaT’s proprietary courseware with the airline’s existing training resources.

Digital Integration for Flight Crews

Under the agreement, NCA will utilize the CPaT Learning Management System (LMS) alongside the developer’s General Subjects courseware. The airline will also implement CPaT Invent and Certificate Builder. These tools allow the operator to incorporate SCORM-compatible third-party content into a single training system.

“We are proud to welcome Nippon Cargo Airlines as a CPaT training partner and expand our support for the aviation community in Japan,” said Capt. Greg Darrow, Vice President of Sales at CPaT Global.

Darrow added that the selection demonstrates the flexibility required by airlines from modern learning platforms, noting the company’s intent to build further relationships with operators throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Corporate Restructuring Under ANA Holdings

The training partnership follows a period of significant corporate transition for the Narita-headquartered cargo airline, which was established in 1978. On August 1, 2025, ANA Holdings Inc. finalized its acquisitions of NCA.

According to reporting by CargoForwarder Global, ANA Holdings initiated a strategic reorganization on April 1, 2026, to merge its separate freight units, including NCA, NCA Japan, and ANA Cargo. Under this restructuring, NCA continues as the operating arm and maintains its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to fly its fleet of eight Boeing 747-8 freighters.

AirPro News analysis

We view NCA’s investment in a new digital training infrastructure as a practical step to ensure operational continuity during its integration into the broader ANA Group. By adopting a centralized LMS while retaining its distinct AOC, the cargo operator can standardize recurrent training for its 747-8 crews without disrupting its specialized freight operations.

Sources: CPaT Global