Norway’s Pilot Flight Academy (PFA) will expand their airline pilot education with a new base on Hévíz-Balaton Airport in Hungary. Together with the Hungarian government, PFA will provide a very beneficial student financing program to all EU-citizens who qualify to become an airline pilot.

This was announced at a press conference by the Hungarian Minister Péter Szijjártó and PFA’s CEO Frode Granlund at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Budapest.

Pilot Flight Academy is the largest flight training organisation of Scandinavia with over 300 students and expects to start the Hungarian operation by autumn 2019.

“This new expansion is a strategic step into the central European market and Hévíz is perfectly located between Vienna Austria and the Hungarian capital Budapest” Granlund said.

In cooperation with the Hungarian government, Pilot Flight Academy will offer full financing for pilot education to all EU-citizens who meet the selection criteria of the airline customers to become an airline pilot. Pilot Flight Academy is the first and only flight training organisation in Europe to provide such a program.

Granlund, “This program from PFA and the Hungarian government is a great step forward to close the gap between the airlines huge demand for new pilots and all the qualified student candidates who are not able to finance pilot education today.”

Over 700.000 new pilots are needed worldwide in the next 20-years, and in Europe alone, there is a demand for over 7.000 new airline pilots every year. Today the education rate for new pilots in Europe is only at 50 percent of this demand.

Hévíz-Balaton Airport will very soon be upgraded to facilitate and accommodate at least 300-students per year.