AeronautX to open eight-bay simulator centre near Amsterdam in 2027

A new entrant is preparing to open a business aviation pilot training centre near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, aiming to challenge what it describes as a duopoly in the European market.

The company, AeronautX, is part of the AX group, which is wholly or partly owned by Niall Olver, the founder of ExecuJet. The facility is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2027 with eight simulator bays, beginning with two full-flight simulators for Bombardier Challenger 300 and Challenger 650 series aircraft.

Olver said the site will expand beyond that initial pair. The plan is to reach up to four devices and then add roughly one more every six months, with equipment from other manufacturers to follow.

The simulators will be supplied by Axis Simulation, an Austrian company also owned by Olver. A separate AX business gathers the flight data used to design the devices by operating its own aircraft.

Europe's business aviation training sector is currently led by FlightSafety International and CAE. CAE has had a long relationship with Bombardier and acquired the manufacturer's training division, including its simulators, in 2019.

AeronautX has offered training since the 1990s but has not previously provided simulator instruction. Olver acquired his stake in the business three years ago.

The Amsterdam operation has been approved as a training organisation by European and UK authorities. Olver said he hopes to secure a US qualification next year, which would allow the company to serve most of the global market.

Courses will include initial type rating, base training, recurrent training and type rating instructor qualifications, along with operator-specific options.