It’s been a year of breaking boundaries at Leading Edge Aviation. Four new airline partnerships, 200 more students and over £2M invested into top talent as part of our funded fATPL and Flight Instructor (FI) scheme! Join us as we look back at our 2024 highlights.
Airline Partnerships: Five Relationships Going Strong!
Four new official airline partnerships presented our students with many opportunities; easyJet, Wizz Air and TUI joined British Airways in their commitment to offer recruitment opportunities to our students. The possibility of a job offer before concluding their training with us keeps our students motivated and driven, and these successful partnerships come at the top of our 2024 list!
British Airways – In February, we announced that we were one of British Airways’ preferred partners for their Speedbird Self Sponsored Pathway (SSP) meaning that successful applicants were given conditional job offers before even starting their training with us!
easyJet – To help them meet their growing demand for pilots, we announced a tagging partnership with easyJet in the Spring of this year. easyJet have since tagged over 50 of our students, giving them conditional job offers during the flying stage of their training.
Wizz Air – To further their commitment to nurturing young talent, we announced a tagging partnership with Wizz Air who have since began tagging students during the ground school phase of training.
TUI – We announced a unique tagging partnership with TUI earlier this month. Currently, we are the only pilot training school to be their official training partners! TUI plan on running assessments with post ground school students in the new year.
We look forward to continuing to work closely alongside all four airlines as well as our existing airline partner, Titan Airways.
Over 100 Tagged Students: A Quarter of Leading Edge Students Offered Jobs by Major Airlines
Thanks to our strong partnerships with some of the UK’s top airlines, over 100 of our current students have received conditional job offers. This incredible milestone boosts their confidence and provides a clear, tangible path to the flight deck. It’s more than just an opportunity—it’s a near-guaranteed return on investment.
As the growing UK pilot shortage drives airlines to recruit even more graduates from Leading Edge, the skies have never been more promising for aspiring aviators!
Our Funded fATPL and FI Course: £2M Invested in 16 Standout Aspiring Pilots
In line with our commitment to making pilot training more accessible, we proudly launched our Funded fATPL and FI course at PCL North this July. This groundbreaking initiative aimed to cover up to 85% of course fees for eight outstanding applicants, alongside offering two years of guaranteed employment as Flight Instructors at Leading Edge Aviation.
However, after being blown away by the calibre of the final 32 candidates, we decided to double down on our pledge, extending this life-changing opportunity to 16 successful applicants—an investment exceeding £2 million.
The journey has already begun for four of these exceptional individuals, who started their training with us in late November and are diving headfirst into ground school.
New Additions to Our Fleet: Enhancing Training Standards with the Elixir Aircraft
Leading Edge Aviation marked a significant milestone by partnering with Elixir Aircraft and Green Aerolease, enhancing our training capabilities and driving sustainability in flight training. By integrating five state-of-the-art Elixir aircraft into our fleet, we now offer unmatched safety, efficiency, and environmental responsibility within the industry.
We also launched an innovative rental solution, inspired by commercial aviation leasing models, to provide flexible, all-inclusive access to aircraft. This reflects our commitment to modernising operations and leading the environmental transition in aviation.
Graduation 2024: Celebrating the Success of 79 Graduates
On May 9th we proudly celebrated the achievements of 79 graduates under the iconic Concorde at Aerospace Bristol. With over 200 guests in attendance, we also welcomed representatives from British Airways EuroFlyer, Loganair, and Wizz Air. It was a first-class opportunity to honour our graduates’ hard work and dedication in front of their friends, family and future colleagues. Our guest of honour, Capt. John Meares from BA EuroFlyer, presented awards to five prestigious students and praised the event as a unique and inspiring celebration.
Moments like these remind us all at Leading Edge why we’re so passionate about delivering exceptional training and supporting our students. We look forward to the events, moments, and budding careers that 2025 has in store.
