Antwerp Skywings Flight Training school invests in environmentally friendly training aircraft

Skywings Flight Training, based at Antwerp Airport in Belgium, which trains airline pilots, has placed an order for four brand-new training aircraft of the Diamond DA40-NG model.

With the addition of these four new Austrian-made aircraft, the total fleet size of the school will be seven airplanes. Using these aircraft, the Antwerp-based school trains young individuals from the Benelux region to become airline pilots. A majority of the graduates find employment with Brussels Airlines, thanks in part to the close collaboration Skywings maintains with the training division of the Lufthansa Group through an official partnership.

“The new aircraft are equipped with the latest navigation and automation technology, allowing our students to apply the principles of airline flying during their training,” said Pieter Brantegem, Chief Commercial Officer of the school and a commercial pilot himself. “The airplanes run on unleaded jet fuel and are known for their low consumption. The manufacturer Diamond is also actively working on the development of an electric variant, the eDA40, which by early 2025 could guarantee a theoretical flight duration of 90 minutes, making it interesting for use during training and starting zero-emission flight training.”

The flight school plans to further green its training programs by increasing the use of simulation, for which the school has two simulators. Additionally, the campus at Deurne Airport is set to expand with solar panels and batteries by 2025. These developments aim to further reduce the impact of training activities in the coming years.

Background: Skywings Flight Training is one of the largest players in the Benelux market for pilot training and has a campus with hangars, simulators, and classrooms at Antwerp Airport, as well as a base in Mutxamel, near Alicante, for basic practical training.