Market Intelligence: -Airline Hiring

Global Pilot Training Group Skyborne Marks Milestone with Training Completion of First British Airways Speedbird Pilot Academy Cadets

United Kingdom – global pilot training group Skyborne which operates flight training bases across the United Kingdom and the United States, has marked a major milestone as the first cohort of British Airways Speedbird Pilot Academy trainees successfully completed their training at the academy.

  • Following 18 months of intensive instruction, these graduates will now progress to their Airbus A320 type ratings with British Airways, before officially joining the airline’s flight decks as First Officers.
  • This achievement makes them the first ever graduates of the Speedbird Pilot Academy, a program launched by British Airways to widen access to airline careers by funding training for aspiring pilots.
  • The multi-million-pound training initiative, launched in 2023, offers aspiring pilots of all backgrounds a fully-funded path to the flight deck with British Airways. Successful candidates will undergo a joint selection process with BA and Skyborne, before training at the academy’s premier facilities in the UK and the United States.
  • For the 2025 edition British Airways will fund the full training costs for up to 200 future pilots.

Source: Skyborne

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European Airline Owned Pilot Training Organisation Welcomes New Cadet Group of 15 in September 2025

Riga, Latvia – As the new academic year begins, airBaltic Pilot Academy has extended best wishes to students across schools and universities, while preparing to welcome its next cadet group, batch 27 of around 15 cadets, on September 3.

The airBaltic Pilot Academy had reported a doubling of applications during the summer intake period.

  • The academy hosts around 161 active students, with most from the Baltic states and others representing EU countries such as Germany, France, Finland, Denmark, Spain, and Italy.

  • Since inception, more than 130 graduates have joined airBaltic as First Officers or instructors, demonstrating a direct pathway to airline employment.

  • The academy is set to celebrate its largest graduating class to date in autumn 2025, with over 20 students completing their training.

  • Tuition financing options reduce the upfront cost barrier: students initially pay EUR 25,000 for ATPL theory and 45 flight hours. Upon successfully passing airBaltic’s pilot assessment and joining the airline, the remaining training is funded via a loan supported by airBaltic.

Source:

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European Regulator Rules Out Single-Pilot Airline Operations Amid Safety Concerns

Europe – The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has concluded after a three-year study that there is currently insufficient evidence to prove single-pilot operations can meet the safety levels of the current two-pilot model. The decision effectively halts regulatory progress on proposals to reduce cockpit crews in commercial airline operations.

  • The EASA-commissioned project on Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) and Single-Pilot Operations (SiPO) found that risks such as pilot incapacitation, fatigue, drowsiness, and the absence of cross-checking could not be adequately mitigated with today’s cockpit technologies.

  • Even scenarios where two pilots would manage take-off and landing while one pilot managed cruise operations could not be shown to provide “an equivalent level of safety” compared to two-crew operations.

  • The study noted that future “smart cockpit” technology—including health monitoring and advanced workload management—“may have the potential to set the basis for new operational concepts”, but not without addressing unresolved security risks such as reinforced cockpit doors.

  • Pilot unions welcomed the findings. The European Cockpit Association described the report as a “reality check”, warning that while safety concerns have been validated, “the underlying motivations behind the push for reduced crew operations are still very much present.”

  • Airbus acknowledged the conclusions, stating: “For the foreseeable future, this means having a well-rested and competent human pilot in command of a robust and flexible system, including appropriate automation. We believe that pilots will remain at the heart of operations.”

  • EASA clarified that no timeline exists for changing rules, adding that single-pilot operations remain “extremely complex and not foreseeable in the next decade.”

  • The report comes shortly after the Air India crash, which has intensified debate around the role of pilots in safety and the risks of reduced-crew concepts.

Source: EASA

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