fReachor the skies Tui’s pioneering training is paving the way for a new type of pilot, finds Alice Barnes-Brown


DESTINATIONS TRAINING | AVIATION


i travelweekly.co.uk


t’s a blustery day at Oxford airport, one of the UK’s leading centres for pilot training. Standing on the tarmac, I struggle to juggle my notebook and pen, as I tame


flyaway hairs and witness a batch of Tui trainee pilots steer their light aircraft into the sky – but it’s nothing compared to the complex manoeuvres going on in the cockpit. Tui’s 19-month MPL (multi-crew pilot licence) training scheme took on its first cohort of cadets in September 2023. It was the first UK airline to launch an MPL programme in more than 15 years and opens up fully-funded pilot training – which usually costs around £100,000 – to a wider range of would-be pilots. It also comes with job assurance; once cadets complete


their training, they’re offered a job at Tui as a cadet pilot, with a salary for four years that includes repayment of training costs.


FUNDING THE FUTURE It’s been a hit with aspiring pilots. Applications for this year’s course, which started in September, hit the 13,000 mark, up from 7,000 last year – though there’s only capacity for 30 cadets.


² 7 NOVEMBER 2024 45


PICTURE: Shutterstock/Bradley Caslin


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60