In May 2026, OMNI Aviation Training Center organized another significant milestone in the training journey of its students by operating a special flight between the Ponte de Sor Airfield and Lisbon Airport aboard a White Airways Airbus A320. White Airways is an airline that forms part of the OMNI Group.

Several students undergoing VFR training at the new Ponte de Sor base were on board, giving them the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of real commercial air transport operations.

The flight’s cockpit crew included Captain Ricardo Cortez, Deputy Head of Training at OMNI Aviation Training Center and current Head of Training and Captain at White Airways. He was joined by pilots Rita Saraiva and José Sanchez, both former OATC students who completed the Airline Transport Pilot Course in 2024.

Now part of the White Airways team, the two pilots represent the success and quality of the training provided by OATC, highlighting the strong connection between the school and the commercial aviation sector. Their participation in this flight symbolizes the institution’s continued support and close relationship with its former students, from their initial training through to their professional integration.

During the flight, the students had the opportunity to observe cockpit operations up close and ask questions directly to the pilots, creating a practical and enriching learning experience about the early stages of a career in commercial aviation.

The same day also marked another important moment for the school with student Fabrício Dionísio’s first solo flight aboard the Elixir aircraft F-HVEA. The aircraft is part of the OMNI Aviation Training Center fleet and is used for training operations in Cascais and, predominantly, at the Ponte de Sor base. This milestone represents another significant step in the student’s development, as well as in the ongoing modernization and evolution of the training provided by OATC.

OMNI Aviation Training Center therefore reinforces its commitment to bringing training closer to the operational reality of aviation by providing practical experiences and promoting the integration of its students into the international aviation sector.