easyJet and Virgin Atlantic partner in pilot exchange programme

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.

The article easyJet and Virgin Atlantic partner in pilot exchange programme first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.