Breeze Airways, the new low-fare airline founded by aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman, has opened its new Breeze Training Academy in Salt Lake City. The center is designed for initial and recurrent training for its pilots, flight attendants and technical operations employees.
In addition to offices, training classrooms and briefing rooms, the center has an Embraer 190 flight simulator for pilot training. Breeze said it will add an Airbus A220 flight simulator this summer. The company said the facility is large enough to house six full-motion flight simulators, four flight training devices, aircraft escape slides, door trainers and an aircraft cabin trainer. The facility can accommodate up to 200 pilots, flight attendants, technical operations teams and instructors daily.
In another move, Breeze has partnered with ATP Flight School, based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and among the nation’s largest flight training companies, to provide ATP graduates with a streamlined pathway to a first officer position with the airline. Amid a growing shortage of airline pilots, the Breeze Embark Program allows Breeze to recruit from ATP’s student and instructor population of 2,300 pilots while providing ATP graduates with opportunities for career progression.
Under the partnership, eligible ATP instructors can interview with Breeze at 500 hours total time. Successful applicants receive a conditional job offer and mentoring from Breeze airline pilots while gaining flight experience. Upon reaching 1,500 hours of flight time, instructors transition to Breeze as Embraer 190 first officers after completing the Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program with ATP.
“It’s really exciting to open our Breeze Training Academy less than a year after our first flight,” said Neeleman. “This facility is large enough to support an airline of 800 pilots and 1,200 flight attendants, so it will support many years of growth for us. And, as a tech hub, there’s no better place for the center than Salt Lake City, which is also home to our headquarters in Cottonwood Heights. Combined with our partnership with ATP, we are well-positioned for continued growth and network expansion.”
Neeleman said Breeze will more than double its fleet this year, from 13 Embraer 190 and 195 aircraft to 30 aircraft, including 13 Airbus A220s and four additional Embraer E-jets. The airline has ordered 80 new Airbus A220-300 aircraft, with options for 40 more, which will be delivered one per month for the next six years.
Breeze Airways began service in last May, primarily in the East and Southeast of the U.S., but is expanding west with 77 routes between 28 cities in 18 states.