Dhaka : Biman Aviation Training Centre (BATC) has been providing officials, crew and pilots of Biman Bangladesh Airlines as well as other national and international carriers with state-of-the-art aviation training. The official training centre of Biman trained 9544 Biman employees as well as 235 participants from other national and international airlines in 2023 alone, across several departments such as operations technical, engineering, marketing and sales and customer service. Training participants from other airlines resulted in a BDT 86,03,869 income for BATC this year.

A B M Nozmul Huda, Principal of BATC said this while talking to The Bangladesh Monitor at the centre's premise near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital.

A B M Nozmul Huda

The centre was established in 1972 immediately after the country's liberation, as soon as the flag carrier was launched, as Ground Training School at Red Button Hotel. Later in 1979, it was shifted to its own premise at Farmgate as Ground Training Centre. Eventually, in 1988, the centre was relocated to present premise of 1 lac 44 thousand sqft and was renamed to BATC.

With a vision to "dream up above the skies", the centre provides technical and specialised aviation training with optimal blending of theory and practice aiming to meet the best industry practices in aviation mandated by ICAO, CAAB and EASA, said the Principal of BATC.

The core objectives of BATC is attitudinal realignment, skill development, will development, generate savings, commersialisation and social contribution, said the Principal, adding, the purpose is to create a centre of excellence.

So far, the centre has provided all past and present Biman officials, pilots, engineers and staff as well as participants from other local airlines like US-Bangla and NOVOAIR, mentioned Nozmul Huda.

Engineering and maintenance training underway at BATC premise

Not only that, the centre provides foreign carrier participants with training too like Budha Air and Himalaya Airlines. More foreign airlines are in line to receive training at the centre in the coming days, claimed the Principal.

Hence, the centre aims at emerging as a regional aviation training hub, stressed Nozmul Huda.

Their human resources comprise 79 individuals including one Principal, seven DGM Trainers, ten Manager Trainers, 34 Deputy/Assistant Manager Trainers, six Administrative/co-ordination Officers, and four Junior Officers and 17 staff.

The state-of-the-art training centre has CAAB ANO (AW) Part 147/66 Approval for Engineering Faculty, CAAB Approval for Instructors of other faculties and EASA Part 147/66 Approval for Engineering faculty, further informed the Principal.

Instructor imparting training to cabin crew at Biman Aviation Training Centre in the capital

The training at the centre ranges from non-operational to operational requirements. It also develops human resources for all the functional departments.

BATC features six faculties: operations technical, customer service, marketing and sales, management development, aerospace engineering and avionics engineering.

Among the trainings offered under engineering faculty, there are EASA B1.1 (aerospace) and B2 (avionics) courses, all basic courses for maintenance licensing, human performance and limitations courses, aviation legislation courses, quality system and internal auditing techniques courses, Type Maintenance Courses for B787-9/9, B777-300ER, B737-NG and Dash8-Q400 and recurrent courses for Basic and Type.

Under the management development faculty, there are junior, senior, office, quality, integrated store and safety management courses.

The centre offers training on airline transport pilot license, cadet pilot aircraft general, B787-8/9 pilot type technical, B777-300ER pilots type technical, B737-NG pilots type technical and Dash8-Q400 pilots type technical courses.

Furthermore, customer service faculty includes flight service courses and ground service courses while under marketing and sales, the centre offers 12 different courses such as basic commercial course, Sabre reservation and ticketing course, airline marketing, cargo security course and others.

Besides, the centre offers 19 different training courses on commercial basis such as airport ground service for BAF, aviation safety and security courses and others.

Lastly, the state-of-the-art facility features a radio and electronics lab, digital shop, instrument shop, electrical shop, engine shop, engine component shop, BATC mini hanger, swimming pool, class rooms, language lab, aircraft systems lab and a Fokker-28 aircraft used for training.