Airworks Aviation Academy Marks Graduation of 3rd Cebu Pacific Cadet Pilot Batch

Philippines – one of the Philippines largest flight training organiastion's Airworks Aviation Company has held the graduation ceremony for 17 pilots from Batch 3 of the Cebu Pacific Cadet Pilot Program in Lapu-Lapu City, following completion of their ab initio training phase. Airworks states that all three Cebu Pacific cadet batches completed to date have finished this phase ahead of schedule, demonstrating the training throughput being generated under the airline’s planned five-year pipeline of 240-300 cadets.

• 17 cadets were recognised at the August 28, 2026 ceremony at Mactan Newtown Beach. Combined with 20 graduates from Batch 1 and 19 from Batch 2, 56 cadets across the first three cohorts have now completed the Airworks ab initio phase.
• The 96-week Cebu Pacific Cadet Pilot Program comprises a four-week Aviation Foundation Course in Pasay, 68 weeks of basic flight training with Airworks in Cebu and 24 weeks of Airline Integration Training in Pasay.
• Successful cadets are expected to complete a Commercial Pilot Licence with Instrument Rating, accumulate 200 flight hours, complete ATPL ground school with multi-engine simulator experience and undertake an Airbus A320 or ATR 72-600 type rating.
• Airwork's President Vincent Ong highlighted regulatory support from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, including the availability of CAAP airmen knowledge examinations in Cebu, reducing the requirement for pilot applicants based in the region to travel to Manila for testing. CAAP officially established a Knowledge Examination Center at its Mactan, Cebu regional office in November 2025.
• CAAP continued conducting offsite airmen examinations in Mactan during 2026, including examination periods in January, April and July.
• The ceremony was attended by Captain Samuel Avila II, Vice President for Flight Operations at Cebu Pacific; Captain Adem Joseph Paras, Chief Pilot – Quality and Performance at Cebu Pacific; Julius Neri Jr., General Manager and CEO of Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority; and Lieutenant General Rozzano D. Briguez AFP (Ret), Deputy Director General for Operations at CAAP.
• Cebu Pacific and Airworks launched the current cadet programme in June 2024 with an objective to train between 240 and 300 pilots over five years. 

Source: Airworks Aviation Company