On November 18th, 2025, the German Navy commenced pilot training for its new P-8A “Poseidon” maritime patrol aircraft at Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT) in Berlin-Schönefeld. The P-8A “Poseidon,” manufactured by Boeing, is designed for maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, surface target engagement, and search-and-rescue missions. The first aircraft was recently delivered.
“I am delighted that Lufthansa has secured another significant and long-term contract with the German Armed Forces by training future P-8A crews. Lufthansa Aviation Training will prepare these crews for their missions at our state-of-the-art training center in Berlin,” said Matthias Spohr, CEO Lufthansa Aviation Training.
The inaugural training session for the first naval pilots was attended by Captain Broder Nielsen, Commander of the Naval Aviation Command, and Berlin’s Governing Mayor.
(Editorial note: The Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, was represented at short notice by the Mayor and Senator for Finance, Stefan Evers)
Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin: “Only by standing united in Germany and Europe can we strengthen our defense capabilities and safeguard our democracy in the long term. The Lufthansa Aviation Training Center here in Berlin is an outstanding example of meaningful cooperation between industry and the German Armed Forces. The fact that the German Navy’s pilots are now completing part of their training in our city demonstrates impressively that the Bundeswehr is firmly anchored in Berlin.”
For this training program, LAT collaborates with U.S.-based ASEC, a close training partner of the U.S. Navy. Future German P-8A pilots will receive training both in the United States through ASEC and at Lufthansa’s Berlin-Schönefeld training center. LAT provides the Boeing 737 Type Rating—a critical foundation for subsequent P-8A operations. The six-week program combines advanced simulators, theoretical instruction, and practical procedures.
“ASEC is honored to support the German Navy’s transition from the P-3C to the P-8A. Training P-8A pilots and aircrew is a precise and demanding mission, where flight safety and combat readiness remain paramount. To meet this challenge, we selected LAT as our partner to deliver 737 type ratings for German pilots and to provide extensive 737NG lease hours, enabling our instructor pilots to conduct advanced P-8A qualification and proficiency training in Germany. From our first engagement with LAT, it was clear they were fully committed to developing the highest-caliber P-8A pilots and were the right choice for both ASEC and the German Navy,” said Mark Bunn, Vice President at ASEC.
With this new contract, LAT expands its military training portfolio to include another aircraft type and strengthens its long-standing, trusted partnership with the German Armed Forces. At the same time, the Lufthansa Group—with Lufthansa Aviation Training and Lufthansa Technik—positions itself as an industrial partner in Germany’s security policy Zeitenwende: while LAT ensures pilot training, Lufthansa Technik provides technical support for the P-8A.
About Lufthansa Aviation Training:
With its competencies in training flight and cabin crews at ten training locations worldwide, Lufthansa Aviation Training GmbH (LAT) is among the world leaders in the field of aviation training. The company is headquartered at Munich Airport and employs around 800 people at all its locations. Its client portfolio encompasses more than 250 nationally and internationally renowned airlines, among them the Lufthansa Group airlines. LAT operates close to 200 training devices. These include training aircraft for pilot training, flight simulators for all common aircraft types for pilot training, as well as emergency and service mock-ups for cabin crews. The flight schools of the Lufthansa Group are joined under LAT’s brand European Flight Academy (EFA).
www.lufthansa-aviation-training.com
www.european-flight-academy.com.
