Fifteen people are able to enter TUI fly Belgium’s pilot academy

Unique in Belgium, the pilot academy launched by TUI fly in 2017 allows more young people to fulfill their dream of becoming a pilot without the budget being a drag. Today, the Belgian airline offers a training programme to become first officer after 39 months of training.

The financial participation is attractive, up to a third of the average price to be paid in the traditional flying schools. The training is given by instructors of the company, which has its own didactic material and facilities necessary for teaching. TUI fly has invested more than a million euros to set up this academy which, since its creation, has attracted a lot of interest from men and women passionate about aviation.

The airline sector is very attractive, but the pilot training is expensive: a young person who wants to obtain an airline pilot licence must pay an average of €90,000. TUI fly has developed the training programme that allow candidates to obtain a flight licence but also the qualification to fly the Boeing 737. With the investment of TUI, they will have to provide only €30,000 for this training that meets the highest standards.

This training obviously requires a great commitment on the part of the candidates, both in terms of studies and work. After the successful completion of the training, the pilot receives a guarantee of employment for at least three years.

For TUI fly, the challenge of this academy is to get the certainty that it will continue to fly with the best pilots. The company has also invested more than one million euros to carry out this programme: IT infrastructure, didactic material, equipment for training, premises for courses, additional training given to instructors. Both theoretical and practical courses are given by TUI fly instructors who are also active as pilots. After the installation of a cabin for training in the fight against fire and smoke, a flight simulator was installed at the company’s headquarters in Zaventem.

Training course in 39 months

The course provides for training in three years and three months. The candidate works part-time in the offices. Thanks to this, he learns the operation of an airline, receives a salary and contributes to the financing of training (10,000 euros per year of training, a total of 30,000 euros).

Open doors on 11 May – subscriptions until 31 May

A full day of information on the training programme will be organised on Saturday 11 May in the offices of the airline in Zaventem. Currently, 200 people are expected to attend. You can subscribe until 31 May and the training will start in September.