At the Dubai Airshow last month, Michel Azar-Hmouda, President of Commercial Aviation at CAE, sat down with SimpliFlying CEO Shashank Nigam to discuss how pilot training must evolve to meet surging demand and serve a new generation of aviators.
CAE is the global market leader in flight simulation, operating over 340 full-flight simulators in 70+ training locations worldwide.
A looming talent crunch
According to CAE’s 2025 Aviation Talent Forecast, released at the Paris Airshow earlier this year, the industry will need 1.5 million personnel over the next decade. This includes pilots, maintenance engineers, air traffic controllers and cabin crew.
For the Middle East specifically, the challenge is acute. “About 31,000 pilots need to be trained over the next 10 years,” Azar-Hmouda explains. That represents roughly a doubling of the region’s current pilot population.
“We’re hearing all these announcements, a lot of airplanes are coming into the [Middle East] region, but someone has to fly these airplanes safely,” he says. “It’s a great opportunity, but it’s a challenge as well.”
Training for a new generation
Meeting this surge in demand involves more than expanding simulator capacity; it requires rethinking how pilots are trained.
As Azar-Hmouda puts it: “The way we trained pilots 10-20 years ago has to continue to evolve because the generation that you’re dealing with today has a completely different attention span than the generation 10-20 years ago”
Emerging technologies are central to this shift. CAE is expanding the use of augmented and virtual reality alongside full flight simulators, creating a broader ecosystem of learning tools. The response from younger trainees has been particularly positive. “You look at the generation today, it’s like, yes, that’s what I want to see, and I want something to be able to adapt to what my gaps are,” he says.
This, however, leads to a bigger challenge: personalising training at scale. “How can I personalise that training without, of course, creating 600 solutions?” Azar-Hmouda asks.
With millions of training hours generating vast amounts of data, CAE is also exploring how artificial intelligence can help tailor learning pathways for individual pilots. The aim is to sift through the accumulated data and uncover “one or two ‘aha!’ moments” that can be incorporated back into the innovation process, to continue improving training outcomes.
Sustainability through simulation
On the environmental front, the logic is straightforward: training conducted in simulators rather than actual aircraft reduces emissions. CAE continues to work with regulators and airlines to shift more training into simulation environments.
As Azar-Hmouda puts it: “When it comes to sustainability, our vision and mission are clear: a lot of the training should happen in a full flight simulator, and we continue to work with regulators and airlines to do more of that. Less training in the actual aircraft; more training in the simulator.”
A zigzag path to leadership
Reflecting on his own career, Azar-Hmouda shares guidance for emerging leaders. “The best part of the journey is when you push yourself outside the comfort zone,” he says. “[For me], it was not all lined up, and it hasn’t been a path of vertical growth. It’s been a lot of zigzagging, which I think is what builds the fundamentals of leadership.”
His approach to talent follows a similar principle. Technical ability is important, yet passion and fit matter just as much. “You can interview someone with excellent skills and still not have the right fit. We look for the person who truly matches the role, because once you have that, you can really unleash their full potential.”
As aviation continues its rapid expansion in the Middle East, that combination of passionate people and adaptive technology may prove essential in keeping the skies safe.
This interview was made possible by CAE, whose commitment to sustainable aviation training and innovation continues to support the industry’s journey towards decarbonisation.
