The Moncton Flight College and CanLink Global have entered into a multi-million dollar partnership to build a second flight training school in New Brunswick .

The deal will see CanLink Aviation Inc., a subsidiary of CanLink Global, establish a satellite flight training centre as a franchise of the Moncton Flight College .

The new school will train hundreds of civilian pilots from .

While officials from CanLink and the flight college declined to say where the new school will be located, sources familiar with the situation say it will be located in Fredericton .

Mike Doiron, principal and chief executive officer of the college said last fall that his school was in preliminary negotiations with the Fredericton airport about a new flight school.

"It’s a golden opportunity for both ourselves and CanLink to put this partnership together, so we’re really excited about it," Doiron said Friday.

Doiron said partnering with CanLink was a natural fit as both firms have worked closely together to develop the market for training Chinese flying students in New Brunswick .

With the help of CanLink, the college signed a $13 million contract with the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The two-year contract is projected to grow to $60 million over the next five years.

Demand from for pilot training was so strong that it has overwhelmed the Moncton school’s maximum capacity of 240 students, said Doiron.

"We just weren’t in a position to do it on our own," he said.

The franchise deal will see the college and CanLink Aviation, as well as private equity and potential government backers participate in founding a Fredericton flight school.

The deal will include construction of new flight training facilities, acquisition of new planes and flight simulators, as well as the hiring more instructors and support staff.

The college will supervise course content and ensure that safety and quality guidelines are met.

Doiron said the deal between the college and CanLink may be the first time a flight college has ever entered into a franchise agreement.

The goal of the second flight school is to have it match the capacity of the Moncton campus.

Doiron said he’s confident the demand is there for training at the second college.

"The potential business that we’re talking to out there exceeds the capacity of the second campus," he said.

"I could see two, three years down the road possible opening a third campus," he said.

Mike Tilley , president of CanLink Avaition Inc., said CanLink Global, which specializes in deal making between Canadian and Chinese interests, was actively searching for its own investment possibilities before deciding to partner with the flight college on a second school.

"We thought this was the area to invest in and try to build on," he said.

Tilley said CanLink hopes to have the new flight college open by this spring. It will initially employ 35 people, which could increase to 80 people if it hits its target of 220 to 240 students within three years.

Tilley said there will be a formal announcement in early March about the location of the new flight school.

If the school is successful in attracting hundreds of Chinese students, CanLink hopes to broaden its student base by turning to other large emerging markets such as .

"We see this as a great growth and business opportunity for ourselves and for the region."