The project was unveiled by Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary on Tuesday, Poland’s private radio broadcaster RMF FM reported.
O’Leary told a media briefing in Poland’s historic city of Kraków that the new simulator-and-training centre would be worth EUR 130 million, train up to 500 Ryanair personnel a day, and create 150 new jobs, according to Polish state news agency PAP.
10 cutting-edge flight simulators, 150 new jobs
The facility will be equipped with 10 innovative flight simulators, including the first Boeing 737 MAX simulator in Poland, news outlets reported.
Ryanair’s new centre in Kraków will train up to 500 pilots, flight attendants, ground staff and administrative workers a day, according to officials.
The facility will create 150 new jobs for airline industry instructors, the PAP news agency reported.
O’Leary told reporters that the Kraków centre would be Ryanair’s “fifth big training centre in Europe and the first in this part of the continent,” according to PAP.
He added that the Kraków facility would train crews “from all over Europe, including Ukraine.”
Ryanair boosts links with Kraków hub
O’Leary also said that the new centre would deepen Ryanair’s collaboration with the city of Kraków, the Małopolskie region and Kraków Airport.
Ryanair already has an operational base in Kraków, with nine of its aircraft based at Kraków Airport, the PAP news agency reported.
Ryanair is also the main carrier at Kraków Airport, accounting for 55 percent of flights going through the facility, according to officials.
Ryanair's Kraków centre to be launched in 2025
Work on the new simulator-and-training centre is scheduled to start early next year, the company said.
The first four flight simulators will be launched in 2025, and the centre will start operating at full capacity in 2026, the PAP news agency reported.
Kraków Mayor Jacek Majchrowski welcomed the expansion of Ryanair’s presence in the southern Polish city.
He hailed Kraków Airport as “a spur to the growth of Kraków and the whole region, attracting tourists and investors, and creating new jobs.”
Meanwhile, Kraków Airport CEO Radosław Włoszek said Ryanair’s decision to build a simulator-and-training centre near Kraków Airport “is a mark of appreciation for our airport’s position and flight connections.”
“It’s another stimulus for the growth of Kraków Airport,” Włoszek added, as quoted by the PAP news agency.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, rmf24.pl, rynek-lotniczy.pl, ryanair.com