Boeing has announced that it will be partnering with South Africa's 43 Air School to offer a new pilot training programme as it expands its partnerships in Africa.

The agreement reflects a shared commitment by Boeing and 43 Air School to maintain and enhance aviation safety in Africa and around the world.

Participants in the "Street to right seat" program will benefit from high-quality training at the "ab initio," or basic, level delivered by a world-class, experienced flight school and at the commercial jet level, delivered by Boeing.

The three-phase program is designed to provide a candidate with no prior flying experience the opportunity to progress seamlessly through professional training to full competence and accreditation -- from basic instruction through jet training.

Program graduates will be qualified as a Boeing Next-Generation 737 First Officer, ready to assume the right seat in the flight deck.

According to a report on Defence Web, Attie Niemann, CEO of the air school said that they expect to train between 150 and 300 pilots a year once "the programme comes into full swing."

Phase One of the program will take cadets through basic flight instruction at 43 Air School. Phases Two and Three continue with Boeing Flight Services Jet Bridge and Type Rating programs completed at any Boeing training campus around the world.

"Boeing is working to provide expanded access to flight training solutions in all regions of the world, enabling airlines to reduce their overall training costs as well as help meet the increased demand for pilots," said Roei Ganzarski, chief customer officer, Boeing Flight Services. "Over the next 20 years there is a global need for hundreds of thousands of new airline pilots. Through partnerships like this we're working to expand the pool of pilots from which airlines can select."

Upon completion of training, graduates will have earned a private pilot license, with multi-engine and instrument ratings and commercial/multi-engine qualification and a type rating in a Next-Generation 737 or other models, as the market requires..

43 Air School has three branches, of which the one located in Port Alfred is perhaps the most famous, and is widely considered to be Africa's premier air school.

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