easyJet recruiting 1,000 pilots with no experience necessary - you just need 5 GCSEs

Gatwick-based airline easyJet has said it is on the lookout for 1,000 new pilots as it encourages people to sign up for its 2024 training programme. The holiday operator said there are 200 places up for grabs immediately - and no experience is needed.

The Generation easyJet Pilot Training programme aims to take aspiring pilots with little or no experience to the cockpit of an Airbus A320 commercial airliner in around two years as a qualified co-pilot. Over 1,000 new pilots are set to join easyJet by 2028 as part of a five-year recruitment drive.

And the airline is aiming to increase the numbers of women pilots - currently they only make up 6% worldwide - and said it has been trying to improve this through a pilot school visits programme and Summer Flight School. Around 7.5% of easyJet's pilots in the UK are women compared to the UK industry average of 6.5%, with around 300 women including 99 Captains now flying for the airline.

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Earlier this month the airline launched an online test which assesses some of the key skills required to become an airline pilot. To apply to easyJet's Pilot Training Programme, aspiring pilots need to be aged 18 or over by the time they begin training and have a minimum of 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above (or equivalent), including Mathematics, Science and English language.

Training takes place with the airline's training partner CAE at its aviation academy locations in Gatwick, Milan, Brussels, or Madrid, with flight training taking place in the US. On successful completion of training, graduates begin their careers flying as a co-pilot with easyJet.

Captain Kate West, Pilot Training Manager at easyJet, said: "We are delighted to reopen applications for this year's Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme as part of our drive to recruit 1,000 new pilots and encourage more people to join this fantastic profession.

"The training to become a pilot focuses on skills such as communication and problem-solving, so when working as a team in the flight deck, diversity is incredibly valuable. Tackling stereotypes about our job is critical to driving this and while we are proud to have many more women flying with us today, we know there is always more to be done to increase all forms of diversity and remain committed to leading the industry in this.

"I joined easyJet over ten years ago as a growing airline with opportunities for career progression and a fantastic reputation for training. This is as true now as it was back then and we look forward to seeing many more new pilots joining easyJet in this rewarding career in the months and years to come."

The Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme is now open for aspiring pilots to apply on the CAE website.

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