British Airways Doubles Speedbird Pilot Academy Intake for 2025
£21 million investment to fund 200 new pilot training places
Farnborough Airshow, July 23, 2024 – British Airways (BA) has announced a significant investment of £21 million to establish the Speedbird Pilot Academy.
The Speedbird Pilot Academy recruitment programme for 2025 aims to train 200 aspiring pilots, covering the full cost of their £100,000 training.
Doubling Down on Talent
“The standard of applicants we see for this program are consistently high,” emphasised Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO.
“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.”
Building a Diverse Pilot Corps
The airline has stated that it hopes to increase diversity within its pilot corps and has partnered with community groups to encourage applications from underrepresented backgrounds.
Launched in 2023, the academy has already selected its first cohort of 100 pilots from a pool of over 20,000 applicants.
The program duration is two years, culminating in a position as a First Officer at British Airways. The airline currently employs approximately 4,000 pilots.
