February 22, 2024
British Airways’ (BA) latest route to the flight deck has launched, in the form of the Speedbird Self-Sponsored Pathway, rebranded from the previous: Newly Qualified Pilot Pathway.
Guy Bowen, a member of BA’s pilot recruitment team and himself a 787 pilot said in a LinkedIn post, “This new pathway will help provide that security and remove the stress of not knowing what comes next. After successfully passing selection you will receive a conditional offer of employment to join British Airways as a First Officer before you even start training.”
Lucy Silvester, Pilot Recruitment Manager at BA added, “You’ll have the opportunity to attend [an] assessment before, during, or after your flight training and, if successful be offered a conditional offer of employment on one of our short-haul fleets.”
So, who is this pathway aimed at? The British Airways careers website says that the Self-Sponsored Pathway is for candidates who are training at any approved training organization (ATO) and have completed up to their instrument rating (IR) with their APS MCC course taking place within 6 months.