The SmartLynx Airlines Pilot Training Organization, which provides type rating courses for Airbus A320 family aircraft, begins its new training season with plans to increase student enrollment by 80%. Around half of graduates are expected to be offered further job opportunities at SmartLynx Airlines.

The SmartLynx Airlines Approved Training Organization (ATO) is a leading approved airline pilot training organization in the Baltic States, providing type rating courses for Airbus A320 series. It is well-known and acknowledged by aviation professionals worldwide. Training courses take place in Riga (Latvia), Tallinn (Estonia) and Sofia (Bulgaria).

On average, SmartLynx ATO welcomes 35-40 students each year from all over the world. The main aim of SmartLynx ATO is to satisfy the staffing needs of SmartLynx Airlines flight crew. Most graduates – around 90% in recent years – find a job at SmartLynx Airlines and go on to enjoy a successful career in aviation. Every year 2 or 3 First Officers are promoted to the rank of Captain. Now, the airline aims to enlarge its fleet from 13 aircraft in 2017 to 18 in 2018 and expand the geography of its operations. It also wants to offer its knowledge and expertise to a broader audience of aviation professionals. That is why SmartLynx ATO plans to increase student enrollment by 80%, while continuing to offer more than 50% of its graduates' employment at SmartLynx Airlines.

The aim of the course is to train pilots with different backgrounds and experience to safely operate A320 family aircraft. Training is offered on a basic variant of A320 aircraft, which covers the A320 family (A318/A319/A320/A321). It allows pilots to obtain a single type rating to fly all the variants of the same aircraft series if they complete the relevant familiarization course. Each course is designed by a highly-qualified team of instructors and aviation practitioners with consolidated experience in type rating courses, and consists of 3 main blocks: Ground Training, Simulator Training and Base Training.

Boncho Dimitrov,SmartLynx Crew Training Director: “SmartLynx ATO offers the most comprehensive, applied ground training available today. Our core philosophy is to equip graduates with the aviation and commercial knowledge needed for today's professional environment. The A320 type rating Course is based on the following principles: a systematic approach to instruction, learning by doing, training to proficiency and implementation of new methods in accordance with regulations. With each course, we are improving and developing course content to be able to offer the most up-to-date training and as a result – highly skilled and competitive pilots.”