United Airlines Celebrates First Graduating Class of Flight Academy Pilots
United Airlines is celebrating the first graduation of pilots from the United Aviate Academy, an important step toward training the next generation of aviators.
The first graduating class includes 51 students, nearly 80 percent of whom are women or people of color, marking another step toward the airline’s goal of training some 5,000 new pilots at the school by 2030.
Recruiting and hiring pilots is a priority at United and the academy is an example of the long-term investments in infrastructure, training and aircraft that the airline has made in recent years.
→ United Airlines earned US$737 million in 2022
Last month, United purchased more widebody aircraft than any other U.S. airline in history and announced that it is now the largest airline in the Pacific and Atlantic. To support that growth, the company hired about 2,400 pilots in 2022 and plans to hire another 2,500 this year. United aims to add at least 10,000 pilots by the end of this decade.
United CEO and COO Scott Kirby and Toby Enqvist will honor the first graduating class at a ceremony this Thursday at Goodyear Airport in Phoenix.
“United is leading the industry in training, recruiting and hiring the next generation of talented commercial pilots and the progress we’ve made at United Aviate Academy after just one year is another example of an airline where good leads the way,” said Kirby.
The airline currently has more than 14,000 pilots, where captains of Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft can earn more than $350,000 a year, plus a rich benefits package. Airmen also receive one of the largest contributions to their 401(k) plan in the country: 16% of base salary.
Related Topics
Arajet Announces Direct Flights Between Punta Cana and Córdoba, Argentina
Porter Airlines Announces Flights to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Costa Rica from Canada for Winter
LATAM Launches Two New Routes Between Brazil and Argentina
Aeroméxico Resumes Direct Route Between Mexico City and Cali, Colombia
Plataforma Informativa de Aviación Comercial con 13 años de trayectoria.