Soaring Success for Norse’s International Aviation Academy

Students and employees from across the UK are gaining even more vital skills to help their careers take off as a leading aviation company teams up with Norse.

SaxonAir, an aircraft management and handling company, is now running a range of courses at Norse’s high-flying International Aviation Academy, close to Norwich International Airport.

Alan Rampling, Academy Manager, said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming SaxonAir to the Academy – they are the first aircraft operator to move in since the start of the pandemic.

“Their involvement will really enhance our portfolio of aviation courses and help us to bring together the expertise we have here to make the student experience even better.”

Norse’s cutting-edge Academy opened in 2017 in a former WWII hangar, which was built in 1939 and was originally part of RAF Horsham St Faith.

The centre-piece of the high-specification building, which has 13 classrooms and six workshops, is a Boeing 737-300 aircraft, which once flew international flights and still has fully operational electrics, hydraulics and flying controls.

This allows students, on an array of courses, ranging from Diploma Level II right up to BSc Hons Degree, to work on an authentic aircraft within a live environment.

“Other clients include KLM UK Engineering and City College Norwich who deliver courses in Engineering Maintenance and Cabin Crew training,” said Alan.

“Many of our students are local and when they graduate, they are snapped up by airlines such as KLM and Ryanair.”

He added: “The Academy is a true gem, providing opportunities for worldwide careers.”

“It is second to none in terms of what it provides and with SaxonAir now joining us we can extend our range of courses.”

SaxonAir already provides training and also sees the move into the Academy as an opportunity for huge development.

Its courses will not only be targeted at students and trainees hoping to enter the aviation industry but also other companies seeking to expand the skills of their workforce.

Luke Frost, Safety and Compliance Monitoring Manager at SaxonAir, explained the plan was to offer a hybrid of specialised aviation training to industry professionals and courses, such as First Aid, Mental Health First Aid, Paediatric First Aid, Aviation First Aid and Mental Health in the Flight Deck, to a wider audience.

“With our skills in these areas and the experience we have first responding on aircraft and we can bridge the gap and provide unique opportunities,” he said.

Alex Durand, CEO of SaxonAir, added: “Norse’s International Aviation Academy is an exceptional space and ideal for what we already offer.

“It will help us to improve the quality of our training and to expand further.

“We are keen to highlight the amount of skilled collaboration that is possible within the Academy and the potential it holds for the aviation industry as a whole.

“Its location close to Norwich Airport enables us to reach a worldwide aviation training audience and will help to put Norwich at the centre of the European or even global map.”