• In December 2022, TUI was the first UK airline to launch a Multi Pilot Licence (MPL) Cadet Scheme in almost 20 years.
• The programme allows aspiring pilots to follow their dreams with no prior qualifications, experience or upfront costs.
• After 6,700 applications and 2,000 interviews, the top 30 applicants were chosen to become the first UK MPL Cadets in over 15 years. Last week, the first cohort started their training.
• The chosen cadets come from all walks of life including; cabin crew, a chef, a doctor, medically discharged members of the armed forces, engineers, a Syrian refugee, and a personal trainer.
• After completing the programme, the cadets will become B737 Pilots for TUI without having paid anything towards their training.

Now, after a rigorous selection process, the chosen cadets have finally begun training.

As the scheme trains pilots without any upfront cost, the chosen cadets have the unique experience of entering the aviation world without having to self-fund their training. Normally, becoming a pilot is an expensive process, but the MPL schemes aim to give opportunities to people who wouldn’t normally have the chance to pursue their dreams and become the newest 737 pilots for TUI.

As the first cadets to join an MPL scheme in over 15 years, the new cohort were all extremely excited to hit the ground running with their training last week at East Midlands Airport.

Whilst some of the cadets had a small amount of flying experience, others have never set foot in the cockpit of a plane before. Many of the chosen cadets were previously pursuing different career paths in the hope of saving up money to self-fund their training, but now, TUI’s scheme has allowed them to jump straight into their training without any need to worry financially.

Malcolm Sutherland, Director of TUI Airways said: “We know that for our customers, their holiday begins the moment they arrive at the airport and step foot on the plane into the safe hands of our pilots. Our pilots play such a pivotal role and we want to continue to attract the best and the brightest who are passionate and committed to going the extra smile for our customers.

“This program is one of a kind, and when we launched was the only scheme in the UK offering 30 places a year to train pilots without any upfront cost. We’re glad to see other airlines are now following in our footsteps and contributing towards making the industry more diverse.

“Training for the cadets commences with ground school, followed by basic flying training and then the advanced flying training phases. After this, trainees will be gaining a broader understanding of our business before commencing operational line training on the 737”.