Scotland’s largest commercial flight training school, based in Perth, is determined not to let coronavirus impede its upward trajectory.
ACS Aviation was impacted by the UK lockdown earlier this year, but its facilities at Perth Airport were all back to full capacity in the middle of August with Covid-19 secure procedures in place to keep staff and customers safe.
As well as operating the flight training school, it is also the airfield operator at Perth Airport, handling private and business planes, as well offering an aircraft maintenance facility.
The company is a significant employer in the area, with 45 staff.
Managing director Graeme Frater wants to make Perth Airport into Europe’s aviation centre of excellence.
He has been involved with the aviation industry for more than 25 years and previously worked with British Airways and easyJet at Glasgow and Edinburgh airports before joining ACS Aviation in 2016.
The MD said: “I’ve always been passionate about aviation. I saw the potential growth opportunities within the flight training sector and was keen to continue the legacy of Perth Airport as one of the leading training airfields in the world.
ACS Aviation – owned by Glasgow’s Cloud Global Group –Â started its Perth operations in 2007 after seeing a gap in the market.
Graeme explained: “There was a lack of high-quality flight schools within the UK to meet the growing demand for commercial pilots.”
ACS Aviation has invested more than £1.5 million in equipment and staff at Perth Airport since 2017.
Most of the money has gone on flight training, including two Diamond DA42 Twin Stars aircraft and a ALSIM AL42 flight simulator.
The flight training school now has 20 aircraft and 25 employees, in roles including flight instructors, operations staff and customer service.
The investment in the flight training school has reaped rewards, as it has experienced more than 150% growth in successful students since 2017.
The MD added: “The school has invested in the latest aircraft and flight simulators to make it the only facility of its type in Scotland. Its reputation continues to grow as graduates have gained employment with dozens of European airlines including easyJet, Ryanair, Jet.com and Loganair.”
In a typical year, ACS Aviation will train more than 100 commercial and private pilots from the UK and as far away as Africa and the Middle East.
Graeme said the Coronavirus outbreak has not hit demand for pilot training.
“There has been no impact at this stage, I believe that a number of future pilots find this period as the optimal time to train towards a commercial pilot licence as our fast track to first officer course takes just 18 months to complete.
“We have seen a 15% increase in inquiries from aspiring pilots since July 2020.”
ACS Aviation also employs 12 people in its aircraft maintenance facility at the Tayside airport which regularly maintains more than 50 planes, as well as eight staff working on the airfield in various roles includes the tower, aircraft refuelling and flight safety.
The aircraft maintenance facility recently added two new apprentice engineers to the team, and they will train to become licenced aircraft engineers.
The MD said his business believes in investing in people, and it also recently won a number of awards including for business growth and business innovation.
He added: “We work closely with Perth and Kinross Council by providing work-experience places for local youngsters interested in aviation.”
Graeme said there is no question the worldwide aviation industry has been damaged by Coronavirus.
But he added: “However, there are already signs of recovery. The Chinese domestic travel market is back to where it was pre COVD-19 and figures suggest that the European market will make the same recovery over the coming 12-24 months.”
The MD said ACS Aviation was fortunate to have entered the pandemic in a strong position.
“We have emerged even stronger after keeping regular communications with customers and suppliers during the downtime.
“Despite the setback of this year with the virus, the business is still forecasting a 10% growth in flight training compared to 2019, and we are currently recruiting for additional flight instructors and office-based staff to support our future growth aspirations.
“It’s our aim to be the Europe’s aviation centre of excellence. I feel this target is more than achievable.”
Asked about what the future holds for ACS Aviation, Graeme said: “The forecast is for the operation to continue its growth, with the focus on commercial flight training using state-of-the-art aircraft and simulators.
“We anticipate adding 10 staff over the coming years, with an expected 60% increase in annual financial turnover from the current £2.4million within the next three years.”
