Russian pilots will no longer be able to train on flight simulation simulators (FSTD) at the Turkish Airlines Training Center. The center sent a notification to this effect, according to the Aviatorshina Telegram channel. The pilot of one of the Russian companies confirmed the authenticity of the letter to The Insider.
It reports that due to the tightening of sanctions by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Turkish Airlines training center is forced to stop working with companies from Russia, since all FSTD simulators are approved by EASA.
According to aviation experts interviewed by The Insider, other training centers will soon follow Turkish Airlines to avoid falling under secondary sanctions that apply to anyone who will help or simply continue to cooperate with organizations from Russian civil aviation. If an aviation training center in Turkey has an EASA certificate for pilot training, then it can only be withdrawn for cooperation with airlines from the Russian Federation. This applies not only to Turkey, but to any individuals and organizations around the world, two aviation experts, who requested anonymity, told The Insider.
“There is a possibility that the Turkish Airlines training center will not be the only center that will refuse to train pilots of Russian airlines. It is clear that there are training centers for airlines in the Middle East, which has not yet joined the sanctions, so our pilots will be able to undergo training at some Emirates center. This is further and, most likely, more expensive if Emirates does not dump prices, ”the expert says.
According to the interlocutors, Turkey's refusal is a serious blow to the system of training and maintaining the qualifications of pilots in the Russian Federation, since it was there that they were trained on simulators that were not available in the Russian Federation after the closure of Europe. Even with regular flight practice, all pilots must constantly be trained in special simulators appropriate for the types of aircraft. There are simulators for the most common types of long-haul aircraft of the Airbus A320 and Boeing B737 families in the Russian Federation.
“But, for example, there are no simulators in the Russian Federation for a long-haul type, such as the Boeing B777. Without such training, even with airworthy B777 aircraft, it will no longer be possible to fly them safely. Pilots specifically for this type of aircraft will lose their qualifications and will not be allowed to fly them in accordance with the aviation rules of the Russian Federation. This also applies to other types of foreign aircraft, which may soon also be left without qualified pilots. For example, for the latest aircraft Airbus A350, which is available only in Aeroflot, there is also not a single simulator in the Russian Federation.”