Market Intelligence: -Airline Hiring

British Airways’ Fully Sponsored Speedbird Pilot Academy Trainees Begin Studies at Global Pilot Training Group Skyborne

Global pilot training group Skyborne which operates flight training bases across the United Kingdom and the United States, has welcomed the first Speedbird Pilot Academy trainees on their fully sponsored path to the flight deck with British Airways.

Skyborne was announced as the official UK partner for the Speedbird Pilot Academy in September 2023. The scheme saw more than 20,000 applicants in its first year and a highly competitive process, including online assessments, video and face-to-face interviews, as well as an assessment day with British Airways.

Lee Woodward, CEO, Skyborne, says: “This is a life-changing initiative. By removing training costs British Airways’ Speedbird Pilot Academy levels the playing field for the best and brightest, driving change in our industry. The standard of applicants has been incredible and to see the first trainees here at Skyborne marks a proud moment for our team. We thank British Airways for their trust and confidence in us as a leading and innovative flight school.”

Lucy Silvester, British Airways pilot recruitment manager, says: “We’re incredibly proud that the Speedbird Pilot Academy is making a flying career a reality for everyone – making a genuine difference to people’s lives. The overwhelming number and standard of applications is helping to ensure we are attracting the very best flying talent for our future generation of pilots. We will continue to invest in our future pilots, as part of our £7 billion investment programme across the airline and will soon announce application details for the second year of Speedbird Pilot Academy too.”

The Speedbird class of 2024 come from diverse backgrounds, range in age from 18 to their mid-40s, and will join Skyborne between March and October this year.

Paul Shrive, father of Speedbird trainee Oliver Shrive, adds: “All Oliver has wanted to do is fly, it’s been his dream since he was seven years old. So as parents, to see that dream become a reality makes us incredibly proud. And for Skyborneand British Airways to be able to offer the opportunity and the accessibility to become a pilot is second to none. We’ll be forever grateful.”

The Speedbird Pilot Academy (SPA) with Skyborne is just one route to a career with British Airways. Skyborne is the only flight school to serve as official UK partner for both SPA and the Speedbird Self-Sponsored Pathway (SSP), offering Integrated ATPL applicants the opportunity to receive a conditional job offer from the airline before starting their flight training.

About Skyborne

Skyborne Airline Academy is a modern airline training academy based at Vero Beach, Florida, United States, and Gloucestershire Airport in the United Kingdom. Established by industry experts, Skyborne brings a fresh approach to airline pilot training.

Founders Tom Misner (chairman) and Lee Woodward (CEO) have unsurpassed experience in commercial aviation, education and training. It is their vision to create a training environment where the highest standard of teaching, safety and relevant airline-style training is maintained, and interactive learning is encouraged.    

Using a combination of tried and tested methods and the latest technology to assess competence, suitability, aptitude and resilience, Skyborne aims to recruit the very best candidates to minimize additional training, reduce failure rates and provide airlines with better pilots and cabin crew.  

Skyborne is proud to hold close relationships with the world’s leading airlines, offering opportunities for trainees as part of British Airways’ Speedbird Pilot Academy, the Propel Flight Academy by Delta, the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme, and the SkyWest Professional Pilot Pathway.

Source: Skyborne
Photo Credit: Skyborne

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Canadian Flight School Select Aviation College Joins Airline Pilot Pathway Program Providing Graduates with Preferential Consideration

Representatives from Canadian operator Porter Airlines made a special visit to Canada-based flight school Select Aviation College to discuss the airlines pilot pathway program. Sunny Grewal and Harrison Turner from Porter engaged with students, sharing insights about the airline’s Destination Porter mentoring program.

“We are thrilled to announce that Select Aviation College has been qualified for Porter Airline’s Destination Porter pilot mentorship program. Destination Porter is a mentorship program that offers young pilots who graduate from recognized schools the opportunity to gain insights and mentorship from experienced Porter Airline pilots. Enrolled students will also benefit from preferential consideration for employment opportunities with Porter Airlines upon graduation. We are extremely pleased to provide our students with exposure to an established airline and offer them a competitive advantage in their career paths.” shared Select Aviation College.

Porter Airlines currently operates:

  • 29 De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400
  • 29 Embraer E195-E2

Source: Select Aviation
Photo Credit: Select Aviation

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L3Harris Airline Academy Graduates Recruited by European Airlines at the Rate of 1 Per Day in 2024

L3Harris Airline Academy shared that, by the end of February 2024, 58 graduates from the said academy had secured positions with airlines throughout Europe this year. That averages more than one graduate hired per working day, consistently. Notably, 27 graduates were placed with easyJet in February alone. This marks approximately a 50% increase compared to the first two months of both 2022 and 2023.

Source: L3Harris Airline Academy
Photo Credit: L3Harris Airline Academy (shown as meta image)

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Global Pilot Training Group Skyborne and Indian Airline IndiGo Sign 5 Year Pilot Training Contract Extension

Global pilot training group Skyborne which operates flight training bases across the United Kingdom and the United States, has signed a five-year contract extension with IndiGo, India’s largest passenger airline, to continue to train its next generation of A320 First Officers.

Applications are open for the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme with Skyborne, offering 100 selected cadets per year an international training programme and US FAA and Indian DGCA dual licences.

Rina Basu, Regional Director (Asia Pacific), Skyborne, says: “The trust IndiGo has placed in Skyborne since 2019 is a huge source of pride and testament to our vision to redefine pilot training.

In 2023, IndiGo became the first airline in the country to welcome 100 million passengers in a single year. We remain committed to supporting this record-breaking mindset, delivering a pipeline of well-trained First Officers to fuel IndiGo’s ongoing success.”

Captain Ashim Mittra, Senior Vice President Flight Operations, IndiGo, says, “With the unprecedented demand for air travel in India, the extended partnership with Skyborne is valuable. With an academy’s airline-focused approach, international facilities, and an experienced team, Skyborne has proven to be a reliable partner time and again.

The IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme offers a clear path to an exciting career, and we are pleased to continue this program with Skyborne. We appreciate their commitment to providing top-notch training and look forward to producing more skilled pilots through this partnership to fuel IndiGo’s growth through this decade.”

The 17-month course begins at Skyborne’s United States facility in Vero Beach, Florida, with cadets spending 12 months earning their US FAA 141 Commercial Pilots License with Instrument Rating, plus the required multi-engine time, before completing a DCGA licence conversion in India. The application process has recently been revamped to include the latest suite of ADAPT pilot aptitude tests from Symbiotics.

Sakshi Pradhan, recent graduate, adds: “I’d like to thank Skyborne for this wonderful opportunity. The experience has been wonderful, and I will cherish the memories created throughout my lifetime. Skyborne truly gave me wings to fly.”

Skyborne and IndiGo will partner on a series of webinars providing prospective trainees with further information about the programme, including detail on the selection process and Q&A sessions.

About Skyborne 

Skyborne Airline Academy is a modern airline training academy based at Vero Beach, Florida, United States, and Gloucestershire Airport in the United Kingdom. Established by industry experts, Skyborne brings a fresh approach to airline pilot training. 

Founders Tom Misner (chairman) and Lee Woodward (CEO) have unsurpassed experience in commercial aviation, education and training. It is their vision to create a training environment where the highest standard of teaching, safety and relevant airline-style training is maintained, and interactive learning is encouraged.   

Using a combination of tried and tested methods and the latest technology to assess competence, suitability, aptitude and resilience, Skyborne aims to recruit the very best candidates to minimize additional training, reduce failure rates and provide airlines with better pilots and cabin crew.   

Skyborne is proud to hold close relationships with the world’s leading airlines, offering opportunities for trainees as part of British Airways’ Speedbird Pilot Academy, the Propel Flight Academy by Delta, the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme, and the SkyWest Professional Pilot Pathway.   

About IndiGo

IndiGo is amongst the fastest-growing low-cost carriers in the world. IndiGo has a simple philosophy: offer fares that are affordable, flights that are on time, and provide a courteous and hassle-free travel experience across its unparalleled network. With its fleet of 350+ aircraft, the airline is operating 2000+ daily flights and connecting 86 domestic destinations and 33 international destinations. India by IndiGo!

Source: Skyborne
Photo Credit: Skyborne

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European Airline Owned Flight Academy Welcomes New Batch of 23 Aspiring Pilots in March 2024

The European Flight Academy, a flight training organisation and subsidiary of Lufthansa Aviation Training, has shared that it has welcomed 23 cadets in its latest March 2024 intake in Bremen, Germany.

Back in March 2023 Lufthansa Aviation Training GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Group and operator of the European Flight Academy flight school (EFA) announced an upgrading offering with a value proposition with its “Take-off-Promise.” Student pilots at EFA will receive an offer for a cockpit contract by a Lufthansa Group airline at the latest 24 months after completion of their training. Should an offer not be possible, 50% of the training costs will be reimbursed. This commitment is included in the contracts in a binding manner and with immediate effect and also applies to the courses that have already started their training after the new start of the flight school last year.

Matthias Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa Aviation Training GmbH: “We are so convinced of the good prospects that the pilot training at the European Flight Academy provides that we bring our “Take-off-Promise” to market. Not only does it provide our student pilots with fair and predictable prospects for an appealing job in the cockpit, but it simultaneously also provides investment security for the training costs. The impressive numbers of participants and the feedback we received at trade shows and our informational events show us that the job of a pilot has not lost any of its fascination and instead continues to be a dream career goal for many young people.”

Training schedule

The training at the European Flight Academy is approximately 24 months long, and while its theoretical part takes place in Bremen/DE or Zurich/CH, the practical training is set to take place at locations in Goodyear/USA, Grenchen/CH, and Rostock-Laage, respectively. In order to guarantee the highest standards in quality and safety, a modern and standardized training fleet consisting of aircraft by the manufacturer Diamond is used for the practical training in Europe. In the USA, a modern fleet of the Cirrus SR20 aircraft will be flown.

Expansion of included services

The costs cover air travel and transfer to the USA as well as the accommodation during the practical training in Goodyear, Arizona. The training costs for the training in Germany are adjusted from EUR 105,000 to EUR 110,000, and for Switzerland they are adjusted from CHF 135,000 to CHF 140,000. The training is set up as a self-pay model, as is internationally customary. The costs will be invoiced step by step in line with the training progress.

Financing

In addition to purely private financing, third-party financing partners will also be available for the training at the European Flight Academy – so that the dream job does not have to remain a dream. Among other things, these partners offer an innovative model of what is called an income-share agreement via an education fund. This means that former student pilots pay back a fixed percentage of their income once they have taken up employment. The specific, individual repayment amount is contingent upon the income level – the higher the salary, the higher the repayment amount will be, and vice versa (principle of solidarity).

Additionally, third-party partners will also offer traditional financing for the pilot training at attractive terms.

Source: European Flight Academy
Photo Credit: European Flight Academy

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