Gulf Aviation Academy see strong demand from future Bahraini pilots

The Program, launched only last week by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company ("Mumtalakat"), Bahrain Development Bank ("BDB") and Tamkeen, will offer Bahrainis the opportunity to train for an international commercial pilot license.

Bahrainis aged from 18 to 30 years old will be selected to undertake internationally certified commercial pilot training programs. With a total budget of more than BD6 million, the program aims to train 100 pilots to qualify for their Airline Transport Pilot's License ("ATPL").

Talal Al Zain, CEO of Mumtalakat, said,

"Aviation is a strategically important sector not only for Mumtalakat but the country as a whole. We need to have a transport infrastructure that is capable of bringing the right services and skills into our economy. To do this, we need to have access to a pool of Bahraini commercial pilots trained to international standards. The High Fliyer Program has been established to train our future pilots and to also create economic benefits for Bahrain as as a whole. We're delighted to see the strong interest show in the program already and I encourage all eligible Bahrainis who are interested to apply."

The program is scheduled to commence towards the third quarter of 2009 and will be managed by the Gulf Aviation Academy ("GAA") (under formation), which is the first aviation academy to be based in Bahrain. The High Flyer program ("from the beginning") is an intense 16-19 month course that will qualify Bahraini graduates with no previous flying experience, and have demonstrated the unique qualities needed, to become internationally certified commercial pilots.

Applications for the Ab-Initio (High Flyer) will be received until the 25 June 2009.