European Flight Training

What European Flight Training does

European Flight Training (EFT) is a privately held flight school based at Treasure Coast International Airport in Fort Pierce, Florida, that trains pilots for the European airline industry. Founded in 1999/2000, the school holds EASA Approved Training Organisation status (ATO number 0008), making it one of the few US-based providers authorized to deliver EASA pilot licensing from zero experience through ATPL. EFT operates a 14-acre campus with a 37,000 sq ft training complex, on-campus housing, simulators including a Bombardier CRJ-200 FTD, and an in-house maintenance hangar.

The school's core offering is the Airline Pilot Programme – EASA Fast Track, a 10-12 month integrated program priced at $54,150-$55,150 that combines EASA and FAA licensing from zero time to a fully licensed commercial pilot with instrument, multi-engine, and flight instructor ratings. Supporting courses include EASA PPL ($9,680), EASA CPL (from $6,924), EASA Flight Instructor (from $8,740), ATPL ground school ($3,500-$6,500), and add-on ratings such as Night ($1,090+), Multi-Engine ($2,800+), and Jet Familiarisation ($5,000+). An Aviation Degree Program is offered through parent company Aviator College. EASA IR conversion is delivered via partner Airways Flight Training in Exeter, UK.

The business model is direct-to-consumer, with individual students paying tuition on a pay-as-you-go basis (minimum $1,000 daily account balance prior to flight) plus separate FAA/EASA exam fees (~$3,180) and TSA fees (~$425). The customer base is international, primarily aspiring European pilots traveling to Florida for cost and weather advantages. EFT markets through its website (flyeft.com), Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn, with alumni now flying for Ryanair, Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Emirates serving as the primary social proof. The school is a subsidiary of Aviator College, has 51-100 employees, has trained thousands of pilots over its 25-year history, and is bootstrapped with no disclosed venture capital or private equity investment.

Name

European Flight Training

Legal name

European Flight Training

Website

https://flyeft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

European Flight Training is a privately held, EASA-approved flight school in Fort Pierce, Florida, offering integrated EASA and FAA pilot licensing from zero experience to ATPL for aspiring European airline pilots, with 25 years of operating history.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flight Training Services

NAICS

Flight Training (611512), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regulatory, Compliance & Type Training (FAA/EASA/ICAO, Part 147/145) (EDAOAFAN)

Keywords

• Flight training
• Pilot licensing
• Aviation education
• Professional pilot programs
• Airline pilot certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Pierce

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Flight Training Programs: European Flight Training generates revenue through comprehensive flight training programs including the Airline Pilot Programme – EASA Fast Track, modular courses, and individual ratings. Programs are priced as fixed packages with additional exam fees charged separately. The school operates on a 'pay-as-you-go' model for flight training where students pay as they progress, with a minimum $1,000 required on account daily prior to flight.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

European Flight Training operates an EASA-approved flight school that delivers integrated pilot licensing programmes combining EASA and FAA qualifications. The core offering is the Airline Pilot Programme – EASA Fast Track that takes students from zero experience to a fully licensed commercial pilot in 10–12 months, supported by individual licence courses (EASA PPL, EASA CPL, EASA Flight Instructor Rating), EASA ATPL Ground School, and add-on ratings (Night, Multi-Engine, Jet Familiarisation). Training is delivered from a 14-acre, 37,000 sq ft campus at Treasure Coast International Airport, Fort Pierce, Florida, with on-campus student housing and in-house maintenance facilities.

Product overview

European Flight Training operates as a single integrated flight school offering EASA-approved pilot training programmes for the European airline industry. The core offering consists of the Airline Pilot Programme – EASA Fast Track, a comprehensive 10-12 month programme priced at $54,150-$55,150 that combines EASA and FAA licenses to take students from zero experience to qualified commercial pilots. Supporting the Fast Track programme, EFT offers individual licence courses including EASA Private Pilot's Licence ($9,680), EASA Commercial Pilot's Licence (from $6,924), EASA Flight Instructor Rating (from $8,740), and EASA ATPL Ground School ($3,500-$6,500). Additional add-on courses include Night Rating (from $1,090), Multi-Engine Rating (from $2,800), Jet Familiarisation Course using CRJ-200 FTD simulator (from $5,000), and Hour Building. The school also provides modular courses allowing flexible training over multiple years, discounted Package Courses bundling multiple modules, and an Aviation Degree Programme through parent company Aviator College. Training is conducted at a 14-acre campus in Fort Pierce, Florida featuring 37,000 sq ft of facilities and on-campus accommodation. EFT holds EASA ATO number 0008 approval.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Airline Pilot Programme – EASA Fast Track Comprehensive professional pilot programme combining EASA and FAA licences that takes students from zero experience to a fully licensed commercial pilot with EASA and FAA qualifications in 10–12 months. Includes EASA PPL, FAA PPL, ATPL ground school, hour building up to 200 hours PIC, FAA IR, EASA CPL, Multi-Engine Rating, Flight Instructor courses, and Jet Familiarisation. Priced at $54,150–$55,150 plus approximate $3,180 in FAA/EASA exam fees.
• EASA Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) Foundational pilot qualification enabling the holder to act as Pilot in Command of single-engine piston aircraft under day VMC conditions. Requires a minimum 45 hours flight time (25 hours dual, 10 hours solo) plus ground training and nine written exams. Priced at $9,680, conducted on Glass Cockpit aircraft.
• EASA Commercial Pilot's Licence (CPL) Professional pilot qualification required for paid flying careers. Includes 25 hours flight training with instructor (with at least 5 hours in a complex type such as the Piper Arrow). Pricing starts at $6,924. Requires prior PPL and all 14 ATPL exams to have been passed.
• EASA Flight Instructor Rating (FI) Flight instructor qualification comprising 30 hours flying (25 hours dual with FI instructor, 5 hours mutual with another student) plus 125 hours of ground school. The school claims a 100% first-time pass record for candidates it recommends for testing. Priced from $8,740 as a 4-week full-time course plus a recommended consolidation week.
• EASA ATPL Ground School Six-month Airline Transport Pilot Licence theory course covering 14 written exams required for an EASA commercial licence and instrument rating. Offered as supportive lectures ($6,500) or distance learning with supportive lectures ($3,500).
• Night Rating Extends PPL privileges to include flight at night. Course comprises 5 hours total flight time (3 dual, 2 solo) including night navigation, landings, and emergency procedures. Priced from $1,090.
• Multi-Engine Rating (MEP) Extends PPL/CPL privileges to aircraft with multiple engines. Course consists of 6 hours dual flight training plus 7 hours structured ground school and a 60-question written examination. Priced from $2,800.
• Jet Familiarisation Course Three-day jet transition course using a Bombardier CRJ-200 Flight Training Device (FTD) simulator. Includes 12 hours ground school and 8 hours in the visual FTD (4 hours right seat, 4 hours left seat) taught by former CRJ airline pilots. Priced from $5,000.
• Hour Building Flight hour accumulation programme that lets students fly aircraft anywhere within the contiguous USA, including destinations as far as California, New York, and the Bahamas, to meet licence issue requirements. Available as part of training programmes.
• Package Courses Discounted bundled training packages that combine multiple modules, including the EASA PPL Package, SE FAA IR / SE EASA CPL Special, SE CPL Package, Multi Engine FAA IR / EASA CPL & EASA Multi Special, Single Engine FAA IR, and EASA Flight Instructor Package.

Quantifiable outcome

• Program completion in 10-12 months vs potentially longer in Europe
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Aviator CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAviator College is the parent company of European Flight Training. Through this relationship, European Flight Training offers an Aviation Degree Program with specific emphasis on pilot training aspects needed for the commercial airline pilot industry. This partnership provides academic credentials alongside flight training.
• Airways Flight Training, Exeter, UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirways Flight Training in Exeter, UK serves as European Flight Training's partner for EASA Instrument Rating (IR) conversion. After completing FAA IR training in Florida, students complete their European IR conversion at this UK facility. The UK CAA testing standards are noted as among the highest in the industry.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Airways Aviation: Airways Aviation is a UK/Europe-based EASA flight training group offering integrated ATPL programmes and partner university degrees. It sits in the same niche of EASA-approved integrated training aimed at European airline careers, providing in-region competition to EFT's transatlantic model.
• Epic Flight Academy: Epic Flight Academy operates another Florida-based integrated pilot training school serving international students on M1 visas. It directly competes with EFT for the same non-EU international cohort priced on cost and weather advantages of Florida-based training.
• ATP Flight School: ATP is one of the largest US-based pilot training organisations, offering integrated airline pilot programmes from zero to ATP. It competes head-to-head with EFT for US-domestic and international career-track students, though ATP focuses on FAA track versus EFT's EASA emphasis.
• Pan Am Flight Academy: Pan Am Flight Academy is a US-based ab initio pilot training organisation offering integrated airline pilot programmes under FAA and EASA-equivalent pathways. It competes with EFT for aspiring professional pilots seeking structured programmes leading to airline careers.
• BAA Training: BAA Training is a European-based EASA ATO offering integrated ab initio and type rating programmes with global cadet partnerships. It represents a directly comparable EASA-aligned competitor for European airline customers that EFT serves from its Florida base.

Broad incumbents

• Lufthansa Aviation Training: Lufthansa Aviation Training operates the European Flight Academy and broader pilot/type-rating infrastructure under the Lufthansa Group. It represents the dominant European in-region competitor for EASA-track integrated training and is a benchmark for the same European-cadet demand pool EFT serves.
• FlightSafety International: FlightSafety International is a major incumbent in advanced flight and simulator-based training for professional pilots and airlines. It overlaps with EFT at the higher end of the training journey (jet/type-rating) and on CRJ-family simulator exposure, but is not a primary competitor for zero-experience integrated programmes.
• CAE: CAE is the global leader in aviation training, operating pilot training academies and a worldwide simulator network. While its scale, breadth (including airline-sponsored cadet programmes) and target market reach exceed EFT's, it is the relevant incumbent benchmark for integrated ab initio pilot training.
• L3Harris Airline Academy (now part of CAE/L3): Former L3Harris Airline Academy was a major integrated ab initio flight training group focused on airline cadet programmes, now operating under CAE. It serves the same integrated EASA training market as EFT, particularly for European cadets and is a relevant comparable on program design and pricing.

Others

• Aviator College: Aviator College is EFT's parent company and provides the affiliated Aviation Degree Program. While not a market competitor, it sits within the same operating group and shapes the academic-degree channel that EFT depends on for institutional funding access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUA7gOmFRVqxpINYIGHXCnA
• Facebookfacebook.com/europeanflighttraining
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-flight-training

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about European Flight Training