CAE to train more than 1,000 new easyJet pilots

CAE has signed a long-term exclusive training agreement with easyJet to train 1,000 new easyJet cadet pilots on a Multi-Crew Pilot licence (MPL) programme. CAE will also provide Airbus 320 type rating training and place graduates of CAE’s Integrated Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) programme with easyJet. 

“This partnership agreement is a resounding endorsement of CAE’s leadership in the pilot training industry - from pilot creation to recurrent training, to experienced pilot placement,” said Nick Leontidis, CAE’s Group President, Civil Aviation Training Solutions. “CAE will recruit and train more than 1,000 aspiring pilots through the launch of the new Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme, a pathway for ab-initio student pilots to develop the competencies needed to be an easyJet pilot. At CAE, we train pilots better and more effectively through cadet programmes like this one, and we will continue to work with our partners to implement innovative and industry leading solutions to support the imperative need for commercial pilots in Europe and around the world.’’

“We are delighted to be partnering with CAE as our pilot training partner of choice,” said David Morgan, easyJet’s interim Chief Operating Officer. “The professionalism and skill of our pilots are in part due to our investment in training and technology, delivered by trusted partners like CAE. Safety is easyJet’s greatest priority and we are proud that our reputation for the highest standards of pilot training and safety is recognised worldwide.”

Selected cadets will begin MPL training with CAE in 2020 and upon completion of training, the first graduates will join operations as easyJet co-pilots by the end of 2021. Aspiring pilots on the easyJet MPL course will complete their ground school classes in one of CAE’s European aviation academy locations including CAE Brussels, CAE Madrid, CAE Milan or CAE Oxford.

The easyJet MPL training programme showcases the latest competency-based training innovations developed by CAE in collaboration with easyJet. The training programme also embeds easyJet Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Threat and Error Management strategies. It will be the first MPL course to include Air Traffic Control (ATC) simulation in the training devices.

The programme will deliver a seamless training experience, from ground school training to full-flight simulation. Cadets will train in glass-cockpit aircraft and will be the first trainees to conduct their training on CAE’s latest generation flight training device (FTD), the CAE 600XR. This innovative technology provides the highest training fidelity in today’s fixed-based training market. 

Future easyJet pilots will also train on the latest technology when it comes to full-flight simulation, with devices capable of addressing the new European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations related to Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT). 

Cadets in the new MPL training programme will undergo more than three times the number of hours in an Airbus A320 simulator, when compared to traditional type-rating training. This is designed to deliver even more relevant training for pilots transitioning from initial training to line flying. 

The basic, intermediate and advanced phases of MPL training will be conducted at the new CAE Milan, CAE Manchester and CAE London Gatwick training centres which were inaugurated earlier last month. With dedicated training areas for easyJet, future easyJet pilots will train alongside experienced easyJet pilots.

CAE has been delivering training equipment and services for easyJet pilots since 1995, in addition to developing professional pilots across its training network. In 2010, easyJet selected CAE as its launch partner for its Multi-Crew Pilot Licence (MPL) training programme. To date, CAE has trained and delivered more than 1,200 pilots through the easyJet MPL, Integrated ATPL and type-rating training programmes for the airline.