British Airways has launched a new pilot training scheme that will fund up to 60 aspiring pilots a year, in an initiative designed to improve diversity and underpin the airline’s workforce planning.
British Airways’ Speedbird Pilot Academy will see the cost barrier of training to become an airline pilot removed, boosting social mobility to the profession.
Successful candidates will be offered a place at an approved flight training school, with all tuition costs covered by British Airways, and upon qualification will become a British Airways pilot. The airline currently employs approximately 4,000 pilots.
Pilot training
Report recommends student loan-style scheme for pilot training
Sean Doyle, British Airways’ chairman and CEO, said: “The Speedbird Pilot Academy will make the ambition of becoming a British Airways pilot a reality for people who’d previously written the option off because of the cost barrier.
“Our aim is to attract the very best talent out there for our future generation of pilots.
“Whether someone is just leaving school or embarking on a second career they never thought possible, we’re levelling the playing field by removing the initial training cost barrier to make a flying career more accessible to a wider range of people and giving everyone an equal chance.
“We fly to more than 200 destinations around the world on a range of aircraft types, providing pilots with an abundance of opportunities and making a career as a British Airways pilot extremely rewarding. This first-in-a-generation initiative will allow anyone to make it a reality.”
Pilot training can cost in excess of £120,000, making the price of becoming a pilot prohibitive for many. This cost will now be funded by British Airways – with a multi-million-pound investment from the airline for its next generation of pilots.
Last month, a report commissioned by the Department for Transport said there is an urgent need to consider how pilot training is funded, including introducing a student loan-style scheme, to avoid a potential shortage of UK pilots.
Wendy Pursey, head of careers and membership services at aviation trade union Balpa, said: “We are pleased to witness British Airways’ commitment to nurturing aspiring pilots right from the inception of their careers.
“Through the provision of a fully-funded cadet scheme, the airline fosters the expansion of the talent pool, reaching beyond individuals solely reliant on personal financial means. This initiative serves to enhance diversity within an industry that has historically operated within a more confined sphere.”
British Airways said it remains committed to further increasing diversity in the aviation industry and is determined to increase awareness, visibility, and applications to this new cadet programme to people from all backgrounds.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
The Speedbird Pilot Academy is part of the airline’s wider pilot recruitment plan. British Airways continues to recruit current commercial pilots and is working with the Armed Forces to provide military pilots new career opportunities in commercial aviation when they leave the service.
The airline has worked closely with Fantasy Wings, which aims to improve diversity in aviation, promoting careers to young people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, and women.
