Emirates cabin crew to step into the virtual world for safety training 

In a smart move, Emirates is now extending its immersive virtual training platform MIRA to the airline’s number one priority – safety. The airline’s nearly 23,000, and rapidly growing, cabin crew team, who are responsible for the safety of millions of travellers every year, will soon be able to complete their recurrent SEP (Safety & Emergency Procedures) training on MIRA. The self-guided virtual training has been designed to meet the requirements of GCAA and other regulatory bodies, while maintaining the integrity and quality of Emirates’ exceptional training programmes.

The platform features photorealistic, high-fidelity, fully modelled cabin interiors of the Airbus A380, Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 aircraft, plus emergency slides, tarmac, airbridges and different views of water and land. It will be supported with hyper-realistic audio and images. Multi-player scenarios with avatars playing the part of backup crew members will ensure standard operating procedures are accurately replicated.

While Emirates’ iconic cabin crew are renowned for offering the airline’s signature service, their core responsibility is ensuring onboard safety. SEP training on MIRA is designed to complement current methodology and will initially start with two modules – aircraft door operations and fire-fighting – key aspects of onboard safety.

Arming and disarming heavy aircraft doors require hands-on skills and experience. If opened incorrectly, the emergency slide could inflate, potentially causing damage to aircraft and airbridges, or lead to injuries. This is why cabin crew are required to complete annual recurrent SEP training.

Soon, Emirates cabin crew will be practising door drills virtually to demonstrate and be assessed for their competency in normal and emergency door operations, and standard operating procedures.

Firefighting skills are also key in the cabin crew competency arsenal. MIRA will feature a host of scenarios for fires in ovens, overhead lockers and toilets. Cabin crew will demonstrate their skills using a fully modelled fire extinguisher with visual and audio effects of smoke and flames as well as extinguishing agents.

Capt Bader Al Marzooqi, Senior Vice President Flight Training said: “At Emirates, we are priming our crew for the airline’s next era of growth and expansion by integrating the latest innovations with our leadership, best practice and excellence in training. With our ambitious growth roadmap – 315 aircraft on order and 30,000 cabin crew numbers by 2030 – effective and efficient SEP training is an absolute must. With MIRA, we can now quickly and significantly scale up our crew training to meet business demands. This is a bold, brave and strategic move which has shaped our training ethos for the future.”

Emirates’ recurrent SEP training on MIRA is designed to unlock enormous benefits for its crew, training team, and customer experience. The airline will be building on its existing platform, optimising creative assets and extending it for a more holistic, end-to-end employee training experience.

The 3D modules with virtual reality headsets can be run in three different modes: Teach, Practice and Assessment. Around 8-10 cabin crew can be trained and assessed in their own VR space on the same scenario simultaneously. Trainers and facilitators can rely on a range of metrics to fine-tune training programmes.

A 2D version, which can be accessed on all mobile devices, laptops, and desktops, means cabin crew will no longer need to travel to training venues with restrictive schedules. They can practise and refresh their knowledge anytime, anywhere – whether relaxing at home, down route, or even while travelling to work. Not having to build and maintain even more facilities, interiors, and equipment will lead to significant savings – both ecological and in costs.

The training team can recreate complex or dangerous situations of any intensity in a safe environment. This will ensure crew can practise worst-case scenarios and make mistakes till they’re fully competent and confident in dealing with emergency situations onboard. Training on MIRA can also help calm the nerves of new cabin crew as it can be done repeatedly, reinforcing their knowledge and understanding in an engaging way.

In 2023, the Emirates Group embarked on MIRA, its futuristic, immersive digital platform that is a first in the aviation industry. The platform is transforming the Group’s employee experiences – particularly for cabin crew and new joiners. 3D virtual hubs, virtual training, gamified environments, simulated experiences and more have been built into MIRA.