Wizz Air Announces Cadet Pilot Program

RNS Number : 3281L

Wizz Air Holdings PLC

27 April 2015

 

WIZZ AIR ANNOUNCES CADET PILOT PROGRAM

FROM SEPTEMBER 2015

Budapest, 27 April: Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, today announced a new 5-year partnership agreement with two quality Flight Training organizations for the provision of cadet pilots to the airline. Courses will start from September 2015 and will initially involve up to 40 cadets per year. The courses will be delivered under EASA regulations and include training for an Integrated ATPL combined with an Airbus A320 type rating.

Following a competitive tendering and evaluation process Wizz Air has selected CTC Aviation and the Central European Flight Academy to conduct this training. Graduates will learn and develop skills that are relevant and focused towards the operational needs of Wizz Air to support the significant growth of the airline with high quality co-pilots trained full-time as airline pilots. The cadet program will enable graduates to join the airline directly as co-pilots flying Airbus A320 aircraft on the WIZZ network after receiving comprehensive training. Co-pilots have an excellent career opportunity to progress to the rank of Captain, after gaining the necessary years of experience in the airline.

Wizz Air will provide a job guarantee (subject to achieving proficiency) upon successful completion of training thus assisting the trainees to access the required funding for the program.  This guarantee at the outset is rare in the aviation industry and a sign of the airline's commitment to find the highest quality cadet pilots in the market.

David Morgan, Head of Flight Operations and Chief Pilot at Wizz Air, said: "Our people are at the heart of Wizz Air and we're delighted to offer this opportunity to a whole new generation of airline pilots. They'll become part of the Wizz Air family and will enjoy an amazing opportunity to be employed directly as a co-pilot on our fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft with a career potential to become a Captain and beyond into management. It's an exciting chapter in our history and we are looking forward to finding our talented flight crew for the future."

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About Wizz Air

Wizz Air is the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, operates a fleet of 57 Airbus A320 aircraft and offers over 380 routes from 21 bases, connecting 112 destinations across 38 countries. At Wizz Air, a team of approximately 2,200 aviation professionals delivers superior service and very low ticket prices making Wizz Air the preferred choice of 16.5 million passengers in the financial year ended 31 March 2015.Wizz Air is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker: WIZZ

About the Central European Flight Academy

The Central European Flight Academy, or "CEFA", is a new company, started as a cooperation between Tréner Kft., Martinair Flight Academy and Flight Simulation Company. It aims to provide cadets from the Central European region with the highest quality aviation training available, to ensure a successful career. The companies behind the Central European Flight Academy are currently responsible for training individuals from over 200 different airlines worldwide. The experience of the founding companies in aviation training within Central Europe will enable CEFA to become a major player in pilot provisioning in this region. At CEFA's disposal are a dedicated airfield, next generation aircraft and full flight simulators housed in state of the art training centers, all fully EASA approved.

About CTC Aviation

CTC Aviation is a global pilot training and resourcing company providing innovative solutions in partnership with customers around the world.  Latest-generation Crew Training Centres and resources are located at attractive, well-connected, convenient locations in the UK, NZ and USA

CTC Aviation's services cover the full spectrum of requirements from ab initio trainee pilot selection, training and airline placement to the more advanced aircrew selection, training and provisioning requirements for experienced pilots, instructors and examiners.

As an Internationally Approved Training Organisation (for ab initio and type rating training), the company trains and recruits approximately 3,000 aircrew for more than 50 global airlines each year.

For more information:

Daniel de Carvalho; Wizz Air Group; [phone]

Follow us on Twitter: @wizzair

Mathijs van Twisk, Central European Flight Academy, [phone]; [e-mail]

Karen Bath; CTC Aviation [phone]; [e-mail]

Notes for Editors:

·      CEFA: To discover more about the program and how to apply, aspiring pilots can visit cefa.eu (available soon), call the CEFA Representative on [phone] or email [e-mail].

·      CTC Aviation: To discover more about the programme and how to apply, aspiring pilots can visit  ctcaviation.com/wizzair, call the CTC Aviation Pilot Careers Advice Team on [phone] or email [e-mail].

·      All flights operated on Airbus A320 aircraft, with 180 seats.

·      For free pictures of aircraft, crews and logo library please visit http://wizzair.com/en-GB/press

 

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