Military Pilot Pathway in London

The Military Pilot Pathway is an exciting career pathway for experienced pilots from the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Army Air Corps. Joining British Airways after serving your country is a great way to continue flying to exacting standards – in a uniform you’ll be proud to wear.

As the nation’s flag carrier, we take great pride in connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain. It’s something we’ve been doing for over 100 years, ever since we launched the world’s first international scheduled air service between London and Paris. This originality has been in our blood since day one.

The customer is at the heart of everything that we do. Your goal will be to provide the very best flight experience possible for each passenger. Wherever you are going, your flying will be world class. The life of a commercial pilot is exciting, and you’ll be challenged every day to perform to the highest standards.

Joining our short-haul Airbus fleet or (dependent upon previous experience) joining one of our 4 long-haul fleets, your career path is never defined. Your lifestyle is important to us and with a huge variety of roles outside of flying, from training to recruiting the pilots of the future, there are countless opportunities. Not only will you have the chance to further your career development within BA, but you’ll also have access to our competitive reward and benefits package.

What you’ll bring to British Airways

• Short-haul Fleet: Minimum of 500 hours of flying time on any military type; Ability to achieve a fATPL(A) and MCC (or exemption) by date of joining.
• Long-haul Fleets: Minimum of 1500 hours of military flying time of which 500 hours or 100 sectors must be completed on a ZFTT qualifying aircraft; Ability to achieve an unfrozen ATPL(A) and MCC (or exemption) by date of joining.
• Previous military (or equivalent) flying experience within the last 3 years (fixed wing or rotary).
• Height will be between 1.57m (5'2") and 1.91m (6'3"). Pilots who are taller than 1.91m may submit an application but will be required to undergo a functionality check.
• A good level of physical fitness, and ability to satisfy the British Airways medical requirements.
• ICAO English Language Proficiency level 6.
• A valid passport (with minimum of 12 months before expiry date at time of joining) allowing unrestricted worldwide travel.
• Tattoos are permissible as long as they are not on the hands, face or head.
• UK CAA Class 1 flight crew medical (Military A1 status is acceptable at point of application but UK CAA Class 1 must be achieved prior to a job offer being made).
• Right to live and work in the UK.
• Meet the criteria of QMP as defined in CAP 2254.
• Started ATPL groundschool and be confident you can have fATPL(A) completed and issued within 18 months of application.

Applications are invited from QMPs who have already left, or are looking to exit the military within the next 18 months. Applicants who are successful at Stage 1 (online assessment) and Stage 2 (in-person assessment) may be made a conditional job offer with a mutually agreed start date up to 12 months in advance. The job offer will be conditional upon passing a simulator assessment.

What we offer

• Dynamic Career Path.
• Varied Roster Patterns (night stops, day trips and tours).
• Company pension scheme (up to 15% employer contribution).
• Eligible for extensive British Airways worldwide staff travel.
• Greater choice of 5 different fleet types (after initial freeze).
• Life insurance benefits.
• Company funded conversion course/type rating (not bonded).
• Discounted airfares for your friends and family.
• Discounts selected car hire, hotels, and retail stores.
• A range of voluntary benefits for yourself and family members.
• Private medical cover, technology scheme, Cycle to Work and Electric/Plug-in Hybrid car scheme.

We recognise that all our colleagues are uniquely different and bring their own originality, creativity, and identity to work. We encourage people from all backgrounds to be part of our journey to become a Better BA.