Ardex
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersKyritz, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Ardex firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ardex
- Legal name
- ARDEX GmbH Berlin Land Brandenburg
- Website
- https://flugschule-ardex.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ardex industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Flight Training Services
- NAICS
- Flight Training (611512), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)
- SIC
- Aircraft (3721), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)
Keywords
Where Ardex is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kyritz
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ardex business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Pilot Training (ATPL, CPL, IR, PPL): Revenue generated from structured pilot training programmes including ab initio ATPL, modular ATPL, CPL, CB-IR, PPL, and flight instructor courses. Students pay tuition fees for theory and practical flight hours. BAföG state funding support is available for eligible students at the Ergänzungsschule (supplementary school).
- Aircraft Charter: Aircraft are available for charter with or without pilot. Charter pricing is based on flight hours (not block hours), with volume discounts of 5% from 10+ hours/year and 10% from 20+ hours/year. The school charters its fleet to external pilots and partner organisations. Training/examination flights are charged at training rates and billed by block time.
- Scenic Flights and Aerial Photography: Revenue from selling scenic flights (Rundflüge) and aerial photography services. Scenic flight pricing is per aircraft (not per person), ranging from €170 for 20 minutes (Cessna 172) to €865 for 140 minutes, with additional per-minute rates.
- Accommodation (Pension Fly Inn): On-site pension (Fly Inn) offers single rooms (€40/night) and double rooms (€70/night), plus pet accommodation (€10/night). Weekly and monthly discounts available. Special rates for flight school customers.
- Café & Bistro (Holding Point 32): On-site café and bistro serving food and beverages to students, pilots, and visitors. Accommodates private events up to 16 persons.
- TH Brandenburg Dual Study Programme: Berufsbegleitendes BWL Bachelor of Science degree at TH Brandenburg costs €641 per semester at full module load. Students pay tuition directly to the university, but ARDEX coordinates the programme alongside pilot training.
- Radio Telephony Certificates (BZF/AZF): Revenue from BZF I/II and AZF radio telephony certificate courses. Course durations are 4x6h for BZF I/II, 3x6h for BZF I upgrade, and 5x6h for AZF.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Small aircraft (C-152, Aquila, Tecnam P2002JF, Grob G115C) – €200-210 per flight hour |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Standard aircraft (Cessna 172S models, Piper Archer III) – €286 per flight hour |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Complex aircraft (Piper Arrow, Piper Seminole, Diamond DA42) – €360-595 per flight hour |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | FNPT II MCC Simulator – €188 per hour |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Scenic Flights (Rundflüge) – Cessna 172 from €170 for 20 min to €865 for 140 min |
| Subscription | Monthly | Accommodation at Pension Fly Inn – Single room €40/night, Double room €70/night |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | ATPL Theory Training – Fernkurs (distance learning) + 85h presence OR 650h full-time classroom |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | PPL Theory Training – 120 hours (distance learning or classroom) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | CB-IR(A) Theory – 80 hours full-time OR distance learning + 8-12 hours presence |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | BZF/AZF Radio Telephony Certificates – BZF I/II €24h, BZF I upgrade €18h, AZF €30h |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Ardex product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Flugschule Ardex is a family-run Approved Training Organisation that delivers EASA-compliant pilot training from PPL(A) through frozen ATPL(A) via integrated ab initio, modular, and certified distance-learning pathways, supported by an FNPT II MCC simulator and a 13-aircraft fleet. Beyond training, the school provides aircraft charter (with or without pilot), scenic and aerial-photography flights, annual flight-experience trips across Europe and North Africa, and on-site hospitality through Pension Fly Inn accommodation and the Holding Point 32 bistro.
Product overview
The source data pertains to Flugschule Ardex, a German flight school (a separate entity from the Ardex construction materials company referenced in a single market report source). The flight school offers pilot training programs, aircraft charter, flight tours, and related aviation services. The source data does not contain sufficient information to populate product details for the Ardex construction materials company.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ATPL ab initio Pilot Training
Quantifiable outcome
- ATPL ab initio training typically completed in 15–18 months (legally up to 36 months), significantly faster than industry average.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Ardex
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ardex technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Ardex partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Elite Simulation Solution AG (Zurich)coreElite Simulation Solution AG (Zurich) developed and installed the Elite Evolution S 912 FNPT II MCC procedure trainer at the ARDEX campus in August 2019. The simulator was certified by the German Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) in November 2019. It is certified in the King Air B200 configuration as a FNPT II MCC.
- Boeing CoursewarecoreBoeing Courseware is a digital training platform used as the foundation of the ARDEX Fernschule (certified distance learning) programme since 2014. It enables flexible, individualised delivery of theoretical pilot training for ATPL(A), CPL(A), IR(A), CB-IR(A), PPL(A), and HPA courses. The platform provides interactive media, automatic progress tracking, and teacher monitoring. Digital textbooks include EXAM Mentor (German and English) and Jeppesen EASA Training.
- Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) / BundesnetzagenturcoreARDEX GmbH received approval from the LBA (July 2010) to conduct Language Proficiency (LPC) examinations for Level 4 and Level 5 English. Five examiners are available for Level 4 renewal exams. Since July 2011, ARDEX is also authorised to issue expert opinions on native German language proficiency. Since July 2014, ARDEX can also conduct Level 4 German language proficiency tests.
- ARDEX Aviation Maintenance GmbHcoreARDEX Aviation Maintenance GmbH is an aircraft maintenance company located on the airfield at Kyritz, responsible for maintaining the ARDEX flight school fleet. This on-site relationship ensures short maintenance turnaround times and maximised aircraft availability for training. Aircraft maintenance is performed almost exclusively by this entity, enabling coordinated communication between operations and maintenance monitoring.
- Technische Hochschule BrandenburgcoreARDEX partners with the Technische Hochschule Brandenburg (THB) to offer a dual berufsbegleitendes BWL Bachelor of Science degree (180 ECTS, 7 semesters) alongside pilot training. The modular programme with weekend lectures allows pilot trainees to earn an academic qualification simultaneously. Immatrikulation occurs online; the next cohort starts WS 2024/2025 at €641/semester.
- LBA (German Federal Aviation Authority)coreARDEX holds official approvals as an Approved Training Organisation (ATO DE.ATO.039) and Air Operator (D-BB012) issued by the German Luftfahrt-Bundesamt. These regulatory approvals authorise the school to conduct EASA-compliant pilot training across all licence levels and to issue related certificates.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ardex competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- FlightSafety International: Major global aviation training organisation specialising in type ratings, recurrent training, and simulator-based instruction. Comparable in regulatory training focus and use of high-fidelity simulators, but focused on advanced/recurrent training rather than ab initio ATPL.
- OSM Aviation Academy: Nordic/European aviation group with pilot training academies (including former Flight Academy Stockholm). Comparable ATPL integrated training model, slightly larger scale, and operates across multiple European geographies.
- European Flight Academy (Lufthansa): Lufthansa-owned integrated ATPL training organisation operating across Germany and Europe. Directly comparable in offering EASA-compliant integrated ATPL programmes but at materially larger scale with guaranteed Lufthansa Group cadet pipelines that Ardex cannot match.
- Lufthansa Aviation Training: Lufthansa Group's broader aviation training division providing crew resource management, type rating, and pilot training services. Comparable end-customer (commercial pilots) but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope than Ardex's regional ATO.
- CAE: Global leader in aviation training with full-flight simulators, cadet programmes, and airline partnerships across Europe. Comparable in pilot-training outcome but operates at a vastly larger scale with proprietary simulation technology and direct airline placement agreements.
Regional players
- Horizon Swiss Flight Academy: Swiss EASA ATO offering integrated ATPL and modular training with a comparable fleet and simulator setup. Comparable in business model and customer segment, with geographic proximity to the German-speaking market Ardex primarily serves.
Direct peers
- Flight Academy Vienna: Austrian EASA-approved flight school offering integrated ATPL, CPL, and PPL training to a similar German-speaking trainee base. Comparable in scale, training philosophy, and reliance on multi-base theory-plus-practical delivery.
- RWL! Flight Academy: German integrated flight academy offering ATPL, CPL, and PPL training with a multi-base model in Germany. Highly comparable in business model, EASA-aligned curriculum, and target customer (aspiring professional pilots), making it Ardex's closest head-to-head competitor in the German market.
- Proflight Aviation Academy: Swiss-based integrated ATPL training organisation offering similar modular and integrated pathways to a comparable trainee profile. Comparable in size, curriculum scope, and distance-learning theory delivery model, serving a similar DACH-region student base.
Others
- Elite Simulation Solutions AG: Swiss-based supplier of the FNPT II MCC procedure trainer (Elite Evolution S 912) installed at Ardex. Indirectly comparable as the technology provider that enables Ardex's multi-crew simulator offering, with other flight-school customers serving a similar ATO target segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ardex social profiles
Digital presenceArdex financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ardex leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ardex subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Ardex funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ardex M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ardex
What does Ardex do?
Flugschule Ardex is a family-run Approved Training Organisation that delivers EASA-compliant pilot training from PPL(A) through frozen ATPL(A) via integrated ab initio, modular, and certified distance-learning pathways, supported by an FNPT II MCC simulator and a 13-aircraft fleet. Beyond training, the school provides aircraft charter (with or without pilot), scenic and aerial-photography flights, annual flight-experience trips across Europe and North Africa, and on-site hospitality through Pension Fly Inn accommodation and the Holding Point 32 bistro.
Is Ardex a public or private company?
Ardex is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Ardex founded?
Ardex was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ardex based?
Ardex is headquartered in Kyritz, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Ardex make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Pilot Training (ATPL, CPL, IR, PPL) is the primary driver. The others are aircraft Charter, scenic Flights and Aerial Photography, accommodation (Pension Fly Inn), café & Bistro (Holding Point 32), TH Brandenburg Dual Study Programme and radio Telephony Certificates (BZF/AZF).
Who are Ardex's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are FlightSafety International, OSM Aviation Academy, European Flight Academy (Lufthansa), Lufthansa Aviation Training and CAE. Horizon Swiss Flight Academy is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Flight Academy Vienna, RWL! Flight Academy and Proflight Aviation Academy. Elite Simulation Solutions AG is listed as an others.
Does Ardex have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ardex.
What industry is Ardex in?
Ardex's product category is Flight Training Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABALAC, Aviation & Aerospace. Its NAICS code is 611512 and its SIC code is 3721.