British Airways Increases Number of Funded Places in Speedbird Pilot Academy

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(23/07/24)
 British Airways has increased the number of
places available to prospective pilots wanting to follow their dream
of flying for a commercial airline without the worry of
self-funding the £100,000 cost of training.

Launched last year and open to applicants
annually, the Speedbird Pilot Academy is already training 100 future British
Airways pilots who managed to beat off competition from more than
20,000 candidates to have the cost of their tuition paid for by
the airline.

Funding was in place for an initial 100 places on the
2025 programme, and this has now been increased to 200.

It takes two years to complete training and become
a qualified First Officer with the airline.

“I’m incredibly proud of the Speedbird Pilot Academy and the
opportunity it provides to those talented individuals who have
held a lifetime ambition of becoming a commercial airline pilot,
but have perhaps found it difficult to independently fund their
training,” said Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO. “The standard of applicants we see for this programme are
consistently high so as part of our commitment to attracting the
very best candidates from right across society, we’ve increased
the 2025 cohort to give as many people as possible the chance of realising their dream.”

Ryan Street, a Speedbird Pilot Academy cadet from
Stockport, had dreamed of a career in aviation since he was a young
boy. He joined the air cadets at the age of 12, where he rose to
the rank of Cadet Warrant Officer, before beginning work at
Manchester Airport for a ground handling company. He held various
roles there including a ramp loader, an aircraft dispatcher and a load
controller before being selected for the Speedbird Pilot Academy.

“Applying for the Speedbird Pilot
Academy and being selected for such a highly-competitive
opportunity was a dream come true, knowing that I would finally be
able to achieve the career I had always wanted,” said Ryan. “Without the
assistance British Airways provided with this cadetship, I might
not have ever been able to afford the current training costs, so I
am thankful to them that they are able to provide this wonderful
opportunity for those that might never have been able to get this
far.”

British Airways currently employs around
4,000 pilots.

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