a woman in a uniform looking at a mirror
Emirates Cabin Crew Training

Inside Emirates Aviation College – How Emirates Train Their Cabin Crew?

I visited Emirates Aviation Training College in Dubai where Emirates trained their cabin crew.

The new Emirates cabin crew (ab initio) went through 8 weeks of intensive training and exams to be qualified to fly.

a man standing in front of a building

Watch this behind-the-scenes vlog on cabin crew training including safety and emergency procedure (SEP), First Aid Training, Image/uniform and cabin service delivery.

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Emirates Aviation Training College is also the world's largest Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 training facility— including flight simulators, pool for ditching exercises, emergency slides and real firefighting simulators.

an airplane with a slide
an airplane with a slide
an airplane with sliders in a hangar

Safety & Emergency Procedure (SEP)

I was given a behind-the-scenes tour of Emirates' new cabin crew training including safety and emergency procedure (SEP) such as sliding, aircraft ditching, smoke and fire in the cabin.

Not many training facilities have the double-decker A380, sliding down from the upper deck was incredibly exhilarating! Watch my video to see how I went! All ab initio (trainee) need to complete the evacuation process within 90 seconds.

a group of people posing for a photo in front of a plane

After some sliding to warm up the body, it is time to ditch into the swimming pool to cool yourself down!

a group of people posing for a photo
a group of people wearing life jackets and masks
The training simulates emergency evacuation on the sea.
a group of people wearing masks and holding up their hands
Trainees need to work together to install the canopy, simulating real-time scenarios.

After setting up the canopy, it is time to ditch the float and swim in the sea!

a group of people in a pool with life jackets
a man in a swimming pool with a jet slide

Next, I attended smoke training, which requires you to wear protective headgear. A dummy baby is hidden in the airplane cabin, the new cabin crew trainee needs to find the baby under smokey conditions.

a group of women wearing plastic bags and standing in a row

First Aid Training

After the safety training, I observed First Aid Training (GMT) including CPR exercises and newborn baby delivery.

Watch the video for full training scenarios.

a group of people in a room
a group of people wearing masks and kneeling on a mannequin
a man and woman wearing masks and holding a dummy
a group of people posing for a photo

Image & Uniform Training

After that, I went to the Image and Uniform training.

Ab initio wears red polo shirt until their training in image and uniform. This is where they were given fresh uniforms and being taught the Emirates image and uniform standard.

Hair has to be tied back in a tight bun — secured with the Emirates red scrunchie. Makeup and red lipstick is to be applied. Finally, a lesson on how to wear the iconic Emirates hat with the veil.

a woman in a uniform looking at a mirror
a group of people in a room
a woman looking at a mirror
a group of people taking a selfie

Cabin Service Training

On my last stop, I went inside the mock-up aircraft trainer to observe the new cabin crew service delivery. The trainees go through a lot of practice in the mockup aircraft trainer.

Watch the video to see how they board passengers, assist special needs passengers, and deliver meals.

On average, 120 new recruits graduate from the Emirates Aviation Training College each week. They get to fly for 6 months under the supervision and guidance of their seniors onboard. The new recruits conclude the training program by attending a graduation ceremony to celebrate their success.

a group of people posing for a photo
a group of people wearing masks and posing for a photo

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