Why Britain is running out of pilots – and how to become one

With a new Saudi airline pinching UK captains, there’s never been a better time to be a pilot – here’s how

British pilots are in demand. Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s fledgling airline, has been accused of poaching our pilots – offering higher salaries and better perks. This, in combination with a post-Covid retirement boom, means that airlines like Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and easyJet are facing a struggle to keep their rosters full. And Riyadh Air isn’t the only airline tempting the country’s pilots away from home-grown carriers, with Gulf rivals Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways all expanding in recent years. 
It seems there’s never been a better time to be a pilot. But how do you actually become one? For those hoping to earn their wings, the process is lengthy – and often costly, comprising examinations, medical tests and many hours of flying practice. 
It starts at school. Pilots are required to have good GCSEs in science, maths and English, and usually A-levels, too. A university degree is not necessarily needed, although most employers stress that anything which helps candidates stand out is to be encouraged – some airlines even reference Duke of Edinburgh Awards as desirable. 
A medical examination is needed, too. Alongside a questionnaire on family health, would-be pilots have their eyesight, hearing, and lung function tested, plus take echocardiograms and X-rays. Contrary to popular belief, glasses-wearers can get their licence. Other conditions, like angina or heart failure, neurological conditions that require medication, diabetes, chronic lung disease and more may mean a medical certificate isn’t issueable. 
A critical part of the process, of course, is the number of flying hours you’ve clocked up. How many? To meet these requirements, applicants usually enrol in a private flying school, with most offering modular courses that allow candidates to reach the requisite number (at least 195 hours). While the length and cost of these training sessions vary, a committed learner could likely complete a course within 18 months.
It isn’t easy, however. Brian Smith, a pilot who has flown with multiple operators, says there were days when he didn’t want to train. “I would pray for cloud cover, because I didn’t want to go out. The instructors were not very forgiving, and it was tough.” 
An alternative option is the airline-run training academy. EasyJet has an 18-22 month course, with trainees taking their first flight in Phoenix, Arizona, and graduating directly to a co-pilot position. Ryanair’s “Future Flyers” scheme operates similarly, as does Virgin Atlantic’s equivalent (where first flights also take place in Arizona or else New Zealand). 
The British Airways Speedbird Pilot Cadet Programme is particularly popular: some 20,000 people applied for just 100 places last year, all vying for their training fees to be covered. It’s understandable, as the process can be prohibitively expensive. The career website Prospects recommends budgeting up to £130,000, citing course fees and certification charges. 
“It’s very often funded through the bank of mum and dad,” says Smith. “Or it’s young men and women taking out huge loans, and it takes a while to pay it back. And it’s not the sort of industry where jobs are guaranteed all the time – Covid proved that.”
During this period, would-be pilots also have to take a series of gruelling examinations, in topics like aviation law, aerodynamics, propeller theory and navigation systems. “It’s a bit like drinking from a fire hose, it can be very intense,” says Smith. 
Regardless of whether candidates learn to fly independently or with a flying school, they will, eventually, graduate with a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) and an Instrumental Rating (IR). Combined, these make a “frozen” Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL). To become a captain – rather than just a pilot or co-pilot – this needs to be “unfrozen”, which requires 1,500 hours in the sky plus an additional, more intensive medical exam. 
Once pilots have their licence, it’s through to the interview stage. While airlines are facing a retention crisis in the UK, positions are still oversubscribed, which means demonstrating a willingness to work unsociable hours is often key. For many candidates, the flexibility of short haul is ideal; others prefer the opportunity to travel the world that long haul provides. 
Regardless, the hiring process – and the job itself – is difficult. Social media sharing has heightened the scrutiny pilots face, and with incidents of severe turbulence on the rise, diligence is more important than ever. 
To discern an applicant’s ability to cope with in-cabin pressures, aptitude tests are often used to reveal intangible characteristics like the use of logic, crisis management and spatial awareness. No standardised testing is used, which means budding captains are subject to the whim of the employer. Nevertheless, online services offer practice sessions that vary from reading comprehension tasks to personality trait quizzes; a typical test shows a series of moving blocks that potential candidates have to quickly record. 
Mathematical aptitude also matters. Typically, this means calculating the area of shapes, demonstrating the use of standard algebra formulas, and using percentages. Often, the first few interview stages are outsourced. Only candidates who make it through to the final part will be questioned by airline employees.
After this final stage, a “capacity test” on a flight simulator is used, requiring candidates to complete various in-cockpit tasks across two displays. Complete those, and you’ll likely be asked more airline-specific questions, including flight routes and the history of the company. The process is extremely arduous but, if a pilot passes every stage, they could be on their way to captaining a plane. 
The newly graduated pilot will be on a starting salary of around £40,000. “But this has the potential to rise quickly,” says Smith, with captains earning up to £150,000 as their responsibilities increase. And while the process is difficult, there’s a sense that the modern process produces particularly conscientious pilots. “I really admire their resilience,” Smith says. 
As for the current climate? Smith thinks now is a great time to start the application process. Budding pilots should take a trial flight and speak to other pilots before starting the process, he says. “I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t enjoy it. The sense of satisfaction is immense.” 
Only six per cent of pilots worldwide are female, although operators are keen to alter this. 
Schemes like the Amy Johnson Flying Initiative, run jointly by easyJet and the British Women Pilots’ Association, aim to encourage women to apply for a licence. The programme offers underwritten loans for six female applicants while working with schools and colleges to encourage women to consider aviation careers. 
It seems to be working. Numbers remain small, but the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reports that between 2019 and 2023, there was a 26 per cent increase in pilot licences issued to women. That includes a 43 per cent increase in the number of licences issued to women for commercial flying. 
Research by easyJet shows that twice as many men (32 per cent) have considered becoming a pilot compared to women (15 per cent). Experts cite the prohibitive costs, in addition to cultural preconceptions, as the reasons why the numbers remain low. Schemes like the CAA’s STEM programme, aimed at getting women and girls into science and engineering, are looking to change this.