A parent, a former gymnast and DJ are the stars of a new easyJet recruitment campaign, encouraging people from all walks of life to train to become an airline pilot.
easyjet announced on January 31 that for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, it is re-opening its pilot training programme. To support future growth opportunities, the airline is recruiting over 1,000 new pilots over the next five years.
The new ad campaign, featuring multi-talented, real-life easyJet pilots, aims to highlight that everyone has the potential to turn their skills and passions towards becoming an airline pilot.
Mother of two, captain Iris de Kan, is seen in one of the ads with 5-year-old daughter Kiki. The ad serves to communicate that those with incredible multi-tasking skills could make for excellent pilots. While many parents wish they had eyes in the back of their head, it’s a common misconception that 2020 vision is required to become an airline pilot.
Former gymnast and now senior first officer with easyJet, Nina Le is featured performing a split leap on the tarmac, showcasing her fantastic reactions and hand-eye coordination – key skills for aspiring pilots.
easyJet senior first officer Aaron Moseley, a former resident DJ, transitioned from the club decks to the flight deck by training to become a pilot for easyJet seven years ago. The company says that his hands-on practical skills have enabled him to switch records for runways.
The new recruitment ad campaign is part of easyJet’s efforts to find the next generation of easyJet pilots, with a continued focus on encouraging more women to become an airline pilot to address the gender imbalance in the industry.
Johan Lundgren, easyJet CEO, said, ‘We are delighted to be reopening our pilot training programme again for the first time since the pandemic hit and will see us recruit over 1,000 new pilots in the coming years. easyJet has long championed greater diversity in the flight deck and this series of ads aims to highlight the extraordinary breadth of skills our pilots have and show that pilots can be found in all walks of life, in a bid to attract more diverse candidates. We continue to focus on challenging gendered stereotypes of the career having doubled the number of female pilots flying with us in recent years. We also acknowledge that whilst we have made progress, there is still work to do. Increasing diversity in all of its forms in the flight deck is a long-term focus for easyJet and so we will continue to ensure we lead the industry on this issue.’
To apply to the Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme, aspiring pilots will need to be aged 18 or over by the time they begin training and have a minimum of 5 General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) of Grade C or above (or equivalent), including Mathematics, Science and English language – no higher qualifications or degrees are required. The company says that its Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme takes aspiring pilots from little to no flying experience, to operating a commercial passenger jet in around two years with its intensive, industry-leading training course.
The campaign launches from today across easyJet’s social media channels across the UK and Europe.
Aspiring pilots can find out more and apply today via becomeapilot.easyJet.com
