Oxford-based Leading Edge Aviation is expanding with a southern European fair weather base in Murcia, Spain where the training company will have exclusive use of the airport.
Andy McFarlane, Chief Executive Officer of Leading Edge Aviation (LEAL), said, “Our expansion into Europe has been a long time in the making. Finding exactly the right location for our staff and students, both in terms of flying, accommodation, cultural and leisure opportunities, as well as accessibility has been a huge challenge and we are delighted to have found all that we were looking for and more in our new campus in Murcia.”
The Alhama Campus at Murcia Airport has a full-length parallel taxiway, modern operations and planning building with crew facilities, and a substantial apron and hangar to house a growing fleet of Diamond aircraft. An on-site engineering service will support the operation.
Students will have accommodation just minutes away in executive quality, two-bedroom air-conditioned self-catering apartments, with 24-hour onsite security and social and leisure facilities.
LEAL says Ground School will be completed at the Oxford Campus and students will then move to Alhama, which has 300+ days of sunshine a year.
Once having passed the Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) skill test at Alhama, students will return to Oxford for Multi-Engine Instrument Rating (MEIR), Advanced Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (A-UPRT), Airline Pilot Standards Multi-Crew Co-operation (APS-MCC) and Graduate Services training to prepare them for their future airline careers.
LEAL will continue to offer dual UK CAA and EASA licences.