Iberia announced the relaunch of its cadet pilot training programme in association with FTEJerez Flight Training Europe. The collaboration between Iberia and FTEJerez will see the Spanish flag carrier providing interest-free financing for approximately 50% of the training cost.
New pilot hopefuls have until the 15 May to submit their applications for the Iberia initiative that is helping to ease the burden of high professional flight training costs and fees. Iberia will also supervise the training programme with regular assessments of cadet performance and progress.
The announcement comes after Aer Lingus, British Airways, and TUI launch fully funded cadet pilot training initiatives that require ‘little or no experience’ in order to elevate shortages within the pilot supply chain.
“We are very pleased to be launching the fourth edition of this successful programme, with which we not only promote the piloting profession among young people, but also help them finance their training in very advantageous conditions so that they can develop their vocation,” said Rafael Jiménez-Hoyos, production director of Iberia.
According to Iberia, once the cadets have completed their studies, Iberia is committed to making it easier for them to enter the labour market so that they can begin to pay back Iberia’s contribution to their training.
To date, a total of 48 students have participated in the Iberia cadets programme. Of these, Iberia has accepted 19 pilots from the first edition into its staff and next June 13 more pilots from the second edition will join the airline. In addition, 16 young pilots are currently training at FTEJerez, and will be joined by the eight new selected candidates in the last quarter of 2024.
Óscar Sordo, CEO of FTEJerez, said, “It is an honour for us that Iberia continues to trust FTEJerez to train its next generation of pilots. This new call for candidates not only recognises the success of the Iberia Cadets programme, launched for the first time in 2017, but also reflects the constant growth of the sector and the promising future of the industry.”
This year, Iberia hired more than 30 new pilots to handle the growth it is experiencing in all its markets, as well as to renew its workforce in this sector.
Visit Iberia more information about the entry criteria and to apply.
Image accredited to Iberia.
