- Alaska Airlines Advances Pilot Training with Full Adoption of Boeing Virtual Airplane at WATS
- Allows pilots to practice procedures outside of traditional training environments.
ORLANDO, Fla., May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/-Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that Alaska Airlines has signed a formal licensing agreement for Boeing’s Virtual Airplane (VA) during the World Aviation Training Summit (WATS) held in Orlando, Florida. Alaska Airlines has been a key development partner during the creation and development of Virtual Airplane, providing valuable feedback that helped shape the innovative training platform.
Virtual Airplane is a device-agnostic, modular training solution that allows pilots to practice authentic, high-fidelity procedures within the Procedures Trainer app, anytime, anywhere. The solution supports realistic, repeatable practices while offering a free flight management system (FMS) for authentic data entry and exploration, so operators can standardize training, reduce simulator familiarization time, and accelerate pilot readiness.
“Alaska Airlines’ commitment to innovation and safety has been instrumental in the development of Virtual Airplane,” said Chris Broom, vice president of Boeing Commercial Training Solutions. “We are proud to see this partnership evolve as they move from beta testing to full adoption, leveraging Virtual Airplane to improve pilot training and operational readiness.”
Jeff Severns, general manager of flight operations training for Alaska Airlines, added: “Our collaboration with Boeing on Virtual Airplane has allowed us to provide our pilots with flexible and realistic training tools that complement traditional simulator sessions. We look forward to fully integrating this technology into our ground school curriculum to further improve the effectiveness of pilot training and proficiency.”
Virtual Airplane is a modular set of training tools. Procedures Trainer is the first module, available now for Boeing 737 MAX training on computers and tablets, with plans to expand to additional Boeing models in the near future. This agreement reinforces Boeing’s commitment to delivering innovative and scalable training solutions that meet the changing needs of the aviation industry.
For more information about Virtual Airplane, visit services.boeing.com/virtual-airplane.
Boeing, a leading global aerospace company and the largest U.S. exporter, develops, manufactures and services commercial aircraft, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. Our workforce and supplier base in the U.S. and around the world drive innovation, economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing is committed to fostering a culture based on our core values of safety, quality and integrity.
Boeing Media Relations
media@boeing.com
SOURCEBoeing
