All Nippon Airways and Airbus have signed a comprehensive agreement to train the next generation of pilots for the ANA Group and its partner airlines.
The ab-initio programme will take candidates with no previous flying experience through all stages required to obtain a pilot licence. Training will be conducted at Sevenair Academy in Ponte de Sor, Portugal, with the first group of 19 cadets due to begin later in 2026.
Cadets will follow a unified curriculum based on Airbus training principles, modern learning tools and Competency-Based Training and Assessment. ANA said the programme would equip future pilots to manage increasingly complex operational environments while reinforcing the airline’s safety standards.
The agreement expands a strategic relationship between ANA and Airbus that has developed over almost four decades.
Airbus estimates that the global aviation industry will require 633,000 new pilots over the next 20 years, including 104,000 in the Asia-Pacific region. The partners said the training programme would help create a stable pipeline of qualified pilots for the Japanese aviation market.