Ryanair has chosen Madrid as the location for its new school for pilots and cabin crew. The Irish airline will invest 100 million euros in setting up what it states will be the largest aviation training centre in southern Europe. This represents a further commitment to the Spanish capital after the creation of its largest computer laboratory in the city centre, which currently employs more than 250 professionals.

The new training centre will be able to take 250 students. It will be equipped with the latest technology, including six Boeing 737 flight simulators, and its activities will create more than 150 new jobs, including pilot and cabin crew trainers, shift workers and administrative staff.

Contribution to Spanish GDP
Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson came to Madrid at the end of September to make the announcement. He said the new centre would offer “aspiring aviation professionals the opportunity to take advantage of our industry-leading training and work with Europe's number one airline, Ryanair”. Furthermore, he explained, “this significant investment marks another milestone in our long-term investment in Spain, which has contributed 1.25 billion euros to Spain's GDP over the last 20 years by boosting tourism, investing in local economies and generating employment”.

The airline stresses that the new investment demonstrates its commitment to Madrid and its continued confidence in the Spanish market, “which is a direct result of the airline’s close working relationships with key stakeholders in Spain”.

Route reinforcement
This winter, Ryanair will be operating more than 545 routes to and from Spain. The company's fleet of 76 aircraft based in Spain carry more than 54 million passengers each year. A business which, together with the boost it provides to the tourism sector, contributes to supporting more than 300,000 jobs in Spain.

This winter, the schedule for Madrid will include four new destinations and increased frequencies on 15 other routes. These routes and the 14 aircraft based at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport that fly them support more than 5,400 jobs in the capital, according to Ryanair. The company does not break this figure down into direct, indirect and induced jobs.

^{Photo: Ryanair}