British Airways is looking for a few good pilots - 100 of them, in fact.
The airline announced this week that the application window for its popular, but selective, British Airways Future Pilot Program (FPP) 2015 will open for a limited time from Feb. 23 to March 8.
The European pilot training and resourcing company CTC Aviation will manage the program on behalf of British Airways and will also act as a training provider for aspiring pilots who are selected to join the program.
"We are incredibly proud of this successful program and delighted with the quality of new recruits joining our pilot community. This year we will be looking for 100 new pilots to join us - the most we have ever sought through the Future Pilot Program," Lindsay Craig, manager - pilot recruitment for British Airways, said in a statement. "Our customers will continue to benefit from having the most highly trained pilots to help ensure they have an enjoyable and safe flight every time they travel."
The program is selective. While BA is looking for 100 new pilots, it will come out of an applicant pool of more than 4,000 candidates, meaning less than three percent of applicants have a chance to be chosen.
When they are, however, the benefits are significant. British Airways will, where required, provide the necessary guarantee to enable successful candidates to secure a bank loan for the funding required, enabling anyone with the necessary skills and motivation to enter a career as an airline pilot. Successful applicants will be made a conditional offer of employment with British Airways prior to commencement of training.
And you don't have to go to Britain, or be British.
This year, CTC Aviation is offering applicants the opportunity to express a preference as to whether they complete their flight training at the company's next generation Crew Training Centre in New Zealand or at CTC Aviation's newest Crew Training Centre in the U.S. in Phoenix.
This year's application window opens at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 23 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on March 8. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible; should the applicant numbers be higher than expected, the window may be closed earlier than scheduled.
The first group of successful applicants will commence training during Autumn 2015.
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