Etihad

A wholly owned subsidiary of Etihad Airways, Etihad Flight College, has signed a deal with Embraer Executive Jets to purchase four Phenom 100E jets.

Valued at around $30m, the agreement includes options for three additional aircraft of the same model.

Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Marco Túlio Pellegrini said: "The Phenom 100E has proven to be the ideal aircraft for jet pilot training, delivering advanced cockpit technology, along with high-performance and high reliability, at a low operating cost."

The company expects to deliver the first aircraft to Etihad Flight College in the first quarter of next year.

Etihad Flight College currently has a training fleet of 16 single-engine propeller aircraft, and the new aircraft will increase this to 20.

"It is vital for us to establish a world-class training facility to support the training and manpower development of the local Emirati workforce."

Said to be one of the fastest jets in its class, the Phenom 100E has a cruise speed of 390k, and features multi-functional spoilers and two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F-E engines each with 1,695lb of thrust.

The cockpit offers the Prodigy Flight Deck with Synthetic Vision System and supports single-pilot operation.

Etihad Airways COO Richard Hill said: "As the national airline of the UAE, it is vital for us to establish a world-class training facility to support the training and manpower development of the local Emirati workforce, while also providing a source of well-trained, highly skilled pilots for our growing operations.

"The Phenom 100E’s airline-grade technology, performance and reliability make it an ideal initial training platform to prepare our cadets for line operations."

Based at Al Ain International Airport in the UAE, Etihad Flight College is the world’s first organisation to use multi-engine aircraft for Multi Crew Pilot License (MPL) training.

Image: An Etihad Flight College-operated Embraer Phenom 100E jet. Photo: courtesy of Embraer SA.