Low cost airline easyJet invites applications for its pilot training programme with the carrier particularly keen to recruit more female applicants – and no flying experience is needed. Tony McDonough reports
Low cost airline easyJet is looking to recruit and train 1,000 new pilots between now and 2027.
This week the carrier, which operates 26 routes out of Liverpool John Lennon Airport, says it is seeking 200 candidates for its 2023 intake. Applicants need little or no flying experience and could be piloting a passenger jet in two years.
Just 6% airline pilots worldwide are currently women so easyJet is encouraging more female applications.
It is also funding opportunities for young women and young people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds to launch a career in aviation through a new partnership with Fantasy Wings
Applications for the Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme are now open at becomeapilot.easyjet.com
Delivered in partnership with aviation training specialist CAE, the programme provides aspiring airline pilots training to become qualified commercial airline pilots in around two years.
Ground training is delivered at CAE’s European aviation academy locations in Gatwick, Milan, Brussels, or Madrid, and flight training at CAE Phoenix in the US. Upon successful completion, graduates begin their careers flying as a second officer with easyJet.
A cohort of cadet pilots selected when the programme re-opened in January 2022 is already in training. Applications are now being accepted for programmes beginning as of December 2023 and graduating as of 2026.
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Captain David Morgan, chief operating officer for easyJet, said: “Ensuring we attract a diverse pipeline of people to join us and that they thrive as part of the easyJet team is crucial.
“And so it remains a priority for us to challenge gender stereotypes of the career to encourage more women to choose a career as a pilot.
“While we are proud to have doubled the number of women flying with us in recent years, we know there is always more to be done to increase diversity in all of its forms in the flight deck.”
There are 360 easyJet pilots and crew based at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, along with six aircraft. The airline launched its operations here in 1997 and last year flew 2m people to and from the city.
Through its Fantasy Wings’ aviation career development programme. easyJet is sponsoring places for students from 50 schools across the UK to join the programme.
It is designed to equip young people with the necessary tools they need to succeed in the industry. It offers skills development, practical knowledge training, career mentorship by industry leaders and even flight training.
This year’s Fantasy Wings programme is due to start in October 2023 and enrolment will open to students between the ages of 13 and 25 who are based in the UK. To register for updates on the Fantasy Wings programme visit fantasywings.co.uk/register.