Air Astana: Flight attendant and pilot training according to EASA standards

The Kazakh airline Air Astana was founded in 2001 with the aim of bringing European aviation standards to Kazakhstan. From the beginning, the airline has relied exclusively on aircraft manufactured in Western countries.

Initially, numerous training and advanced training courses mostly had to be completed abroad. This also includes pilot and flight attendant training. For some time now, Astana has had the appropriate training equipment, which also has EASA approval. This has a decisive advantage for pilots with European licenses, as they can now complete their simulator training in Kazakhstan. Previously, they had to go abroad. For the time being, this only applies to Airbus A320 pilots, as Boeing 767 training continues to be carried out outside Kazakhstan. The Embraer 190-E2 aircraft type is a discontinued model at Air Astana anyway, which is why no longer purchases a separate simulator for it.

In 2019, Air Astana merged the previously separate training and education opportunities under the internal umbrella brand "Air Astana Academy". This has locations in Almaty and Astana. A full-flight simulator is currently only available in Astana. In Almaty there are other training opportunities for pilots and flight attendants, including "normal" simulators.

B767 crews train in Frankfurt, A320 crews in Kazakhstan

The training for the flight crew who fly the A320 series is carried out entirely in-house. Those who fly the long-haul Boeing 767 model use the facilities at Lufthansa Flight Training in Frankfurt am Main. This will also change in the future, because as the Boeing 787-9 is introduced into the fleet, Air Astana will also upgrade its crew training accordingly. The future Dreamliner crews are already being prepared, among other things, by a provider based at London Gatwick Airport.

While the focus at the Almaty site is on service training, things can get heated in Astana, where the flight attendants have access to a fire fighter trainer, for example. There is also a modern A320neo cabin trainer that can simulate the most diverse scenarios that the crews have to deal with. In Almaty, however, exercises also take place, for example on life jackets, which, according to Air Astana, cost between 300 and 400 US dollars each, depending on the model. Many theory courses are also held at the Astana site.

Opening for external pilots planned

So-called instructors, whose job it is to pass on their knowledge to pilots and flight attendants, are also trained here. One instructor explained that there are numerous different working groups. The aim of all efforts is to ensure that all innovations and safety-related information actually reach the two pilots in the cockpit and are implemented by them.

At the Astana location, training is currently only being carried out for the company's own crews and those of its subsidiary Fly Arystan. In the future, however, the company also wants to open up to external pilots and flight attendants. However, the center is currently very busy with its own crews, so realistically this will only be possible after the expansion that has already been decided.

Basic technician training takes place in Munich

Another area in which Air Astana offers training and further education opportunities for its staff is technology. It is currently the only provider in Kazakhstan certified according to EASA 147. However, the company does not carry out the basic training of prospective technicians itself; instead, a well-known German company carries it out on behalf of the Kazakh carrier in Munich. Many training courses are then carried out in-house in the company's own maintenance and training centers in Astana and Almaty. According to the company, the company also takes advantage of the opportunities offered by the manufacturers Boeing, Embraer and Airbus.

In the area of ​​maintenance, Air Astana is currently facing a challenge that is well known in the industry: Procuring spare parts or replacement engines for the A320neo fleet is proving to be very labor-intensive and time-consuming. When asked about the fact that the Embraer E190-E2 fleet is still very young, a manager said that this model has not proven to be ideal for Air Astana. It performs excellently in summer, but in winter there are one or two problems. It is also not big enough in view of the planned future expansion. Therefore, management has decided that the Brazilians, as these aircraft are called internally, should be phased out.

Prospective managers are also in demand

The Air Astana Academy also offers the opportunity to train specifically for future management tasks. Particular attention is paid to competence in the area of ​​the different laws that must be observed in daily flight operations. For example, the EASA regulations differ in some respects from the national ones in Kazakhstan. The aim of the management training is to ensure that competent staff are always trained and educated. This is considered particularly important in order to be able to compete internationally. The exchange of know-how also plays a crucial role.

In the medium term, Air Astana wants to expand and extend all existing training and continuing education opportunities. The core goal is to be able to carry out as much of the training itself as possible, while complying with EASA regulations. Ultimately, this will save costs, as crews will have to travel to and from Europe for training purposes much less frequently. In the administration area, it is already the view that both Air Astana and Fly Arystan will benefit considerably from the training, which no other airline in Kazakhstan would supposedly offer in this form.