Gloucestershire Airport based Skyborne Airline Academy has welcomed the decision by the Department for Transport to enable the continuation of professional flight training under COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.
Ian Cooper, chief operating officer of Skyborne, said, “Ensuring training continuity is extremely important, particularly for our trainees currently in the final stages of their Integrated ATPL programme.
“At Skyborne, the safety of our trainees, staff and their families is paramount. All trainees in the ground school phase of their training have moved to remote learning to minimise numbers at our Gloucestershire Airport HQ, and all staff not required on site are working from home.
“Theoretical knowledge lessons are being taught via our Skyborne Virtual Airline Training Platform (VATP). Developed in March in response to the first UK lockdown, the web portal received extremely positive feedback and works in conjunction with 1-2-1 instructor sessions to support learning.
“All trainees and staff currently conducting flight training on site have been tested for COVID-19 following the Christmas break, with daily temperature checks to ensure their safety. We have also formed course ‘bubbles’ for our trainees based on their flight schedule and living arrangements. These bubbles train in isolation from other groups in line with government recommendations to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Throughout this last year, our trainees and staff have demonstrated real resilience and commitment and we continue to thank them for their efforts in supporting the recovery of the airline industry.”
