EPA Launches E190 Cabin Crew Trainer to Address Gaps in Latin American Cabin Crew Training

EPA Training Center has inaugurated a new cabin crew training facility built around a refurbished Embraer E190 aircraft, expanding its capability to deliver emergency response, service excellence and specialist law enforcement training in Brazil and across Latin America.

Located in São José dos Pinhais, in the metropolitan region of Curitiba, the Cabin Crew Trainer marks a significant addition to the centre’s portfolio and reflects changing dynamics in the aviation training market, where airlines are taking on greater responsibility for personnel training while gaps remain in practical, scenario-based preparation.

The new trainer supports three core training streams. The first focuses on cabin crew emergency training for newly qualified flight attendants, providing intensive, hands-on experience in realistic emergency scenarios. The second delivers service excellence programmes aimed at raising standards in in-flight hospitality and passenger experience. The third supports initial and recurrent training for cabin crew operating the Brazilian Federal Police’s Embraer E175 aircraft.

To enable high-fidelity training, EPA has invested in a real Embraer E190 airframe, which has been refurbished and converted into a functional cabin mockup. The trainer is equipped with operational doors, slides, galley and lighting systems, allowing trainees to practise emergency procedures including fire and smoke scenarios in a controlled environment.

According to EPA Training Center CEO Flávio Farias, the facility is designed to better prepare cabin crew for the realities of operational service.

“This space will literally become a bridge between the dream and the professional reality of new flight attendants,” he said. “At the same time, we will help to nourish the market with more qualified crew members who are more familiar with the reality of the profession”

Alongside the physical trainer, EPA is working with Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) on the approval of a new 40-hour course dedicated exclusively to emergency training. The course content is based on ICAO Doc 10001, which sets international guidelines for cabin crew training and performance, particularly in emergency situations.

Farias said the initiative is intended to support airlines by improving preparedness and operational readiness among cabin crew.

EPA Training Center describes itself as the largest regional aviation training centre in Latin America, providing training solutions across multiple aviation disciplines.