Gulf Aviation Academy

Gulf Aviation Academy, or GAA, is an aviation training school based in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is the training arm of Gulf Air Group. The site says it was formed after a royal directive to create an independent academy that serves Bahrain and the wider Middle East and North Africa region.

GAA offers courses for people who work in many parts of aviation. The about page names pilots, cabin crew, air traffic controllers and engineers. Its programs suit both people already in the industry and new entrants. The academy says it keeps adding new programs.

The academy was launched officially in 2010. It says it became the first EASA approved training organization outside Europe. In the same year it gained EASA Part 147 approval for engineering courses and became a UK CAA cabin crew training organization. EASA is the European aviation safety agency.

GAA also lists IATA accreditation and approval as an ICAO FIATA training center for dangerous goods. In 2011 it became an IATA training center for air traffic control and related training and won an Aviation Awards prize for training and education provider of the year. In 2020 it received dual EASA type certification for A320 ceo and neo training, plus upset prevention training. It also reports ISO 9001 certification and a training validation from the Brazilian civil aviation agency.

Training equipment is a key part of the offer. The academy commissioned a second full flight simulator for the A320 and a third for the EMB 170 and 190. A flight simulator is a ground device that copies the cockpit of a real aircraft. It also installed an A321 NEO over-wing exit door trainer in 2020. A partner deal brought a Boeing 737NG simulator to Bahrain.

GAA works with other schools and suppliers. The news pages mention a joint ab-initio pilot program with Aerodynamics Academy in Malaga, Spain. They also mention an alliance with the Spanish simulator maker SIMLOC and a partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. An agreement with Bahrain Airport Company is listed too.

The Gulf Aviation Academy website lists its accreditations, its facilities and its latest news. Visitors can also find details of an e-learning offer. The site is the place to check current courses and approvals.