AeroGuard Graduates First Student Pilots for Air New Zealand

Trainees now head to Dubai for additional courses.

An Air New Zealand Boeing 777.
An Air New Zealand Boeing 777 [Shutterstock]
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Key Takeaways:

  • AeroGuard Flight Training has graduated the inaugural group of cadets from its partnership with Air New Zealand, part of the Mangōpare Air New Zealand Pilot Cadetship program.
  • The first cohort completed comprehensive flight training, including Commercial Multi-Engine with Instrument Rating, in under 12 months at AeroGuard's Phoenix campus.
  • These cadets will proceed to specialized Type Rating and Multi-Crew Cooperation courses in Dubai, with the program aiming to provide Air New Zealand with airline-ready professionals.
  • AeroGuard is a significant pilot training provider, having received five cohorts for Air New Zealand and also training cadets for other major airlines like Cathay Pacific and Air India.
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AeroGuard Flight Training this week graduated the first cadets from its training partnership with Air New Zealand.

In a statement, AeroGuard said this first group of student pilots completed their training—which includes certificates through Commercial Multi-Engine with Instrument Rating—at the flight school’s campus in Phoenix in under 12 months.

They will now move on to Type Rating and Multi-Crew Cooperation courses with Ansett Aviation Training in Dubai.

“This program was built to provide airline-ready professionals and we are proud of these cadets’ hard work and dedication to become just that,” AeroGuard CEO Joel Davidson said in a news release. “This partnership ensures a consistent pipeline of well-trained pilots who will uphold safety, professionalism, and excellence for Air New Zealand.”

AeroGuard trains Air New Zealand student pilots as part of a program called the Mangōpare Air New Zealand Pilot Cadetship. Described as a complete beginning-to-end flight training system, it prepares New Zealand citizens for eventual positions with the Auckland-based airline.

Ansett, which is based in Australia, is also part of the cadetship.

So far, AeroGuard has received five cohorts of trainees from the program at its Phoenix location.

The flight school also provides cadet training for Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, and Air India.

Zach Vasile

Zach Vasile is a writer and editor covering news in all aspects of aviation. He has reported for and contributed to the Manchester Journal Inquirer, the Hartford Business Journal, the Charlotte Observer, and the Washington Examiner, with his area of focus being the intersection of business and government policy.

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