New partnership will see cohort of easyJet pilots join Virgin Atlantic on secondment to train on Airbus A350 wide-body fleet
New programme offers three year long haul flying experience with security of an easyJet role to return to
Virgin Atlantic operates the youngest fleet across the Atlantic and partnership gives pilots the chance to fly on the airline’s next generation, state of the art aircraft
easyJet is recruiting 1000 new pilots over five years with applications currently open for aspiring pilots
easyJet and Virgin Atlantic have partnered in a pilot exchange programme that will see a cohort of easyJet pilots join Virgin Atlantic to experience a wide-body flying secondment.
From November 2024, 20 easyJet pilots will swap A320 flying for the right-hand seat as a co-pilot to train on Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A350 fleet for around three years, returning to easyJet at the end of the placement.
The partnership will provide easyJet pilots with over 1500 flying hours with the opportunity to experience operations on a state of the art, wide-body Airbus A350 and further their flight deck experience over long-haul routes on the youngest transatlantic fleet, while Virgin Atlantic will benefit from highly-trained experienced short haul easyJet pilots from across Europe joining its team.
Captain Bart Prudon, Director of Flight Operations for easyJet, said:
“At easyJet we pride ourselves on the calibre of our pilots, our industry-leading training and commitment to career development and so we are delighted to have partnered with Virgin Atlantic to further enhance the opportunities flying with easyJet can offer. Operating a different aircraft type is a fantastic experience for any pilot and this partnership will not only offer global long-haul flying with the added security of returning to easyJet to continue a fantastic career flying modern aircraft across Europe, we know that our highly-skilled pilots will add great value to the Virgin Atlantic team.”
Robbert Strating, VP Flight Operations at Virgin Atlantic, commented
“Our pilots play a vital role flying our customers, safely and on time. The introduction of our pilot placement programme with easyJet will welcome experienced easyJet pilots directly into the Virgin Atlantic family, giving them the opportunity to fly our state-of-the-art, next generation widebody Airbus aircraft, travelling to some amazing long-haul destinations including Los Angeles, India, and South Africa.
“Meanwhile, easyJet’s extensive basing network will allow us to attract pilots from across Europe, reaching new audiences. With our purpose to inspire everyone to take on the world, we’re pleased to play a pivotal role developing their flying careers and enhancing the skills of the next generation of pilots and supporting UK aviation”.
easyJet is recruiting over 1000 new pilots join easyJet as part of a five-year programme which commenced in 2022. Applications for the Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme are still open for aspiring airline pilots. Discover more and apply today at becomeapilot.easyJet.com.
ENDS
For further information, please contact the easyJet Press Office on 01582 525252 or log onto mediacentre.easyJet.com.
For further information please contact the Virgin Atlantic press office on +441293 747373 or email press.office@fly.virgin.com
Notes to editors
About easyJet
easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe's primary airports with great value fares and friendly service.
easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline and carried more than 82 million passengers in 2023 with more than 11.3 million travelling for business. The airline has over 300 aircraft flying on nearly 1000 routes to more than 155 airports across 35 countries. Over 300 million Europeans live within one hour's drive of an easyJet airport.
easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in eight countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports several local charities and has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised nearly £17m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.
In 2022, easyJet published its roadmap to net zero by 2050. The roadmap, which also features a combination of fleet renewal, operational efficiencies, airspace modernisation, Sustainable Aviation Fuel and carbon removal technology, has set an ambitious interim carbon emissions intensity reduction target of 35% by 2035, validated by the Science-based targets initiative (SBTi). The airline’s ultimate aim is to fully transition its fleet to zero carbon emission technology, which it will achieve through a number of strategic partnerships including with Airbus, Rolls-Royce and GKN Aerospace Solutions. Since 2000, the airline has successfully reduced its carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by one-third.
Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – since launching nearly 30 years ago, easyJet changed the way people fly to the present day where the airline leads the industry in digital and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for its passengers.
In 2023 easyJet was named by TIME as one of the World’s Best Companies and a Leader in Diversity 2024 by The Financial Times.
About Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in 1984, with innovation and amazing customer service at its core. In 2023, Virgin Atlantic was voted Britain’s only Global Five Star Airline by APEX for the seventh year running in the Official Airline Ratings. Headquartered in London, it employs more than 8,500 people worldwide, flying customers to 30 destinations across four continents throughout the year.
Alongside shareholder and Joint Venture partner Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic operates a leading transatlantic network, with onward connections to over 200 cities around the world. In February 2020, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic launched an expanded Joint Venture, offering a comprehensive route network, convenient flight schedules, competitive fares and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to earn and redeem miles across all carriers. Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam in March 2023 as the global airline alliance’s first and only UK member airline, enhancing the alliance’s transatlantic network and services to and from Heathrow and Manchester Airport.
Virgin Atlantic has been pioneering sustainability leadership for more than 15 years, committing to Net Zero by 2050 and continuous action that reduces environmental impact. The airline operates one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets in the skies, with an average age under seven years. In October 2022, Virgin Atlantic welcomed its first A330-900’s to the fleet, continuing its transformation towards 100% next generation aircraft by 2028. In November 2023, the airline led a consortium to deliver the world’s first flight across the Atlantic on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), demonstrating that 100% SAF can be used safely as a drop in fuel in existing infrastructure, engines and airframes. The need to scale production is an industry imperative and Virgin Atlantic is committed to radical collaboration across the energy chain to support commercialisation ahead of 2030.
For more information visit www.virginatlantic.com or via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @virginatlantic.
