Airbus has taken a new step in its relationship with Japanese aviation. The European manufacturer and All Nippon Airways (ANA) have signed a comprehensive agreement to train the next generation of pilots for the Japanese group and its associated airlines, expanding a collaboration that has lasted nearly four decades.
The agreement comes at a time when the airline industry faces one of its major challenges for the coming years: the need for enough professionals to meet the anticipated growth in air traffic. According to estimates from Airbus Global Services, the sector will require 633,000 new pilots worldwide over the next twenty years, with 104,000 of those needed specifically in the Asia-Pacific region.
The program agreed with ANA will be ab initio training, meaning it will allow the recruitment of candidates without prior flight experience and support them through different stages of preparation until they obtain their pilot license.
The first cohort will consist of 19 cadets and will begin training at the end of 2026. While the agreement aims to bolster the pool of pilots in the Japanese market, the training will take place in Europe, specifically at the Sevenair Academy in Ponte de Sor, Portugal.
Students will follow an integrated program from the outset within Airbus’s training network, with a common curriculum based on the concepts, methodologies, and learning tools used by the European manufacturer.
Takeshi Tsuchida, Executive Vice President of Flight Operations at ANA, emphasized that the program incorporates the latest advances in safety and is aligned with the Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) model developed by Airbus. The goal is to prepare future pilots to operate in complex environments and manage flight operations according to the standards required by the company.
Airbus Gains Ground in a Strategic Market
Beyond training new professionals, the agreement is significant as it takes place in Japan, a market where Boeing has historically maintained a particularly strong position, while Airbus has been increasing its presence in recent years.
This evolution can also be observed in the fleet decisions of major Japanese airlines, although the competition is far from having tipped exclusively toward one of the two manufacturers.
Japan Airlines (JAL), for example, announced in 2024 a major fleet renewal and expansion plan that includes aircraft from both companies. The airline decided to incorporate 21 Airbus A350-900s and 11 A321neos, as well as ten Boeing 787-9s. Additionally, for its domestic operations, it continues with plans to introduce 21 Boeing 737-8s.
Thus, the commitment to Airbus is increasing, but it coexists with a still significant presence of the American manufacturer.
In the realm of training, links are also being strengthened. JAL became in 2024 the first global operator of the A350 to contract Airbus’s Virtual Procedure Trainer, a digital tool designed to prepare pilots for operational procedures and emergency situations.
The new agreement with ANA now expands the European manufacturer’s presence beyond aircraft supply. Airbus is directly entering one of the strategic processes of an airline: the training of its future pilots.
The Pilot Shortage: A Global Challenge
The initiative also responds to a problem affecting the entire commercial aviation sector. The anticipated growth in air traffic, retirements of professionals, and fleet expansion are increasing the hiring and training needs.
The Asia-Pacific region emerges as one of the primary focal points of this demand. The 104,000 new pilots that Airbus estimates will be needed in the region over the next two decades represent approximately one-sixth of the 633,000 that the manufacturer forecasts the global industry will require.
For Airbus, participating from the early stages in the training of these professionals means expanding its service activities and strengthening relationships with airlines beyond aircraft sales. For ANA, the agreement grants access to an international standardized training program at a time when ensuring a sufficient pool of pilots has become a strategic issue.
The first cohort of 19 students beginning their training in Portugal will be small, but the agreement reflects a broader transformation in the aviation market: competition among manufacturers is no longer solely based on new aircraft orders. Training, services, technology, and the ability to support airlines throughout the entire operational cycle are increasingly part of the same battle.
