Training the next generation of pilots, technicians and cabin crew

The doors are open. Fully operational since mid-June 2026, Airbus’ new Toulouse, France, training campus unites human expertise, sustainable design and world-class technology under one roof to offer customers an end-to-end training experience.

The Toulouse Airbus Flight Operations & Training Skywise Campus opens at a critical time. Today’s in-service Airbus fleet numbers over 13,000 aircraft. In the course of the next 20 years, the global aviation industry will require more than two million additional pilots, technicians and cabin crew. 

Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Toulouse facility is built with that demand in mind, welcoming some 9,000 international trainees every year and housing 650 co-located employees. 

Architecture built on care and sustainability

The experience begins the moment a trainee enters the new campus. Its buildings are designed to prioritise the comfort and well-being of everyone who walks through its doors. Its architecture is guided by a philosophy of care and respect. The campus has received prestigious European BREEAM ‘Very Good’ certification for its low-carbon footprint, smart water management and use of renewable energy.

Inside, the most striking design choice is what architects call the ‘simulators as protagonists’ concept. Unlike traditional training facilities, where Full Flight Simulators (FFS) are placed in bays, the new campus proudly showcases them. Encased behind massive glass facades, the simulators are easily visible from the exterior and indoor relaxation areas

Elevating the training experience 

Learning starts inside 2,000 square metres of technical classrooms. Trainees can take advantage of fully-digital flight training to practice complex aviation procedures before ever touching an FFS and, of course, a real aircraft. The upper floors of the new buildings host some 650 company employees.

Airbus views digital training as a complementary tool to the traditional classroom. It enables self-paced study at home or in an airport lounge, perfecting the ‘hard’ skills of procedural knowledge so that the ‘soft’ skills of crew coordination and decision making can be prioritised during face-to-eye sessions in the simulator.

In specialised structure labs, maintenance technicians receive hands-on instruction. They learn to maintain and repair both metallic and composite airframe structures for the entire Airbus fleet. 

Step into the full flight simulator 

Finally, flight crews step into the simulator bays. Built to house up to 12 FFS, these units use 100% electrical motion and deploy hyper-realistic visuals to replicate real-world flight conditions with absolute precision. This includes customised setups for specific airline fleets.

The human element remains paramount throughout this process. All programmes follow the strict Airbus Flight Training methodology, delivered face-to-face by experienced flight instructors, who bring real-world operational experience and insight to every lesson.

“Depending on the sector of activity, our customers are hosted at the Campus for between one and seven weeks,” says Maia Kuilenberg, head of training services at Airbus. “Overall, Airbus Training issues around 22,000 certificates per year within its network. As many as 10,000 are issued from Toulouse.”

A complete aviation ecosystem

While shaping the next generation of flight and maintenance careers is the new campus’ raison d’être, the Toulouse facility is a shop window for Airbus innovation, entirely designed around the trainee experience.

Airbus Training Services is co-located with Flight Operations and Skywise, Airbus' digital services subsidiary that seamlessly connects flight, technical and ground operations. 

Finally, the campus features a state-of-the-art digital showroom, highlighting how data and modern software work behind the scenes to make airline and aircraft operations safer and more efficient every day.