Unique training at one fourth of the usual price, with employment guarantee
TUI fly inaugurates a new training programme to become a pilot. It is the only Belgian airline to develop such a project. The TUI fly MPL Flight College must allow more young people to realise their dream of becoming a pilot without the budget being a problem. At the same time, TUI fly wants to train the pilots according to very strict criteria. To this end, TUI fly invests more than one million euros. The training combines courses with a ground function within the company, and lasts 39 months. It is longer than a conventional training but costs only a quarter of the usual price and also offers a guarantee of employment to successful candidates.
The airline industry is very attractive, but pilot training is demanding and expensive. A young person who wants to obtain a commercial airline pilot licence must pay up to 135,000 euros. TUI fly has developed a programme that allows candidates to obtain a flight licence but also the qualification allowing them to pilot a Boeing 737. The students only pay 3 times 10,000 euros. This amounts to a quarter of the price of a classical training.
During their training, they discover the backstage of the airline thanks to the function they occupy on the ground. This programme combining training and work lasts longer, but beyond its attractive price, it also offers a guarantee of employment as a pilot for at least three years to successful candidates.
TUI fly is investing heavily in this programme: IT infrastructure, training materials, course premises, additional training given to instructors. Both theoretical and practical courses are given by TUI fly instructors who are also active as pilots. After the installation of a cabin for fire and smoke training, a flight simulator will soon be installed in the company’s headquarters in Zaventem. The company invests more than one million euros to carry out this programme.
This programme is a unique initiative in Belgium. TUI fly wants to democratise to a certain extent the acquisition of a pilot licence and to be sure that it will be able to continue to operate with the best pilots. The challenge of the training is not to reach minimum criteria of success but to get pilots who have reached the strictest training standards.
The TUI fly MPL Flight College will start in September. Each year, 12 candidates will be selected. They must pass an entrance examination beforehand. The selections will start in the coming months.
On Saturday, 6 May, an information day will be organized at the airline’s offices in Zaventem.
Interested candidates can register via the website https://corporate.tui.be/en/employment/cabin-cockpit-crew/1818829
Press release of April 3, 2017
