Certificates have been presented to 18 trainee pilots who have successfully completed their theory ground school and seven theory exams.

Competitiveness and Communi-cations Minister Censu Galea presented the certificates to the student pilots, remarking that their next step would be to qualify as private pilots. The private pilot’s licence will be issued in accordance with the European Joint Aviation Authority Regulations by the Department of Civil Aviation–Malta.

The students, whose ages range from as young as 16 to 55, had the option of pursuing the course full or part-time. The European Pilot Academy, formerly the European Flight Academy has over 130 graduates who have taken up flying as a career and now work with airlines, as flight instructors, or use their qualification for private purposes. The EPA has recently moved into its new premises inside the airport which is also next to its fleet of aircraft, resulting in its operations being more efficient, said Mr Galea.

He pointed out that within the last 12 months, the EPA had doubled its overseas student pilot seating capacity for lectures and also for managerial staff. The academy has 14 years of experience, and in the past two years has nearly tripled its aircraft movement, bringing a total of nearly 8,000 hours of flying with over 24,000 take offs and landings. The EPA, Mr Galea reminded his listeners, was Malta’s first pilot academy and holds approval from the Civil Aviation Department Malta and UK as well as the Education Department in Malta.

There were thousands of flights every day, he said, and unfortunately when there is a disaster, it hits the headlines. He said that was one the main reasons why pilots and airlines should always strive for the utmost in safety standards. The presentation was held in the presence of director Captain Ray Zarb.