CEB launches cadet pilot training programme with FTA

From left to right: Samuel Avila II, CEB’s VP Flight Operations; Lance Gokongwei, CEB’s President and CEO; Steven Young, Owner of FTA; and Johan Pienaar, CEO of FTA.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) has launched a cadet pilot training programme in partnership with Flight Training Adelaide (FTA) to address expansion requirements over the next five years.

The 56-week programme will recruit candidates from ab initio and create 240 professional pilots. Sixteen candidates will be chosen per batch and CEB will take on three batches of cadet-pilots per year.

The programme is open to all Filipinos who are college graduates, proficient in English and hold passports valid for at least two years prior to the start of their training. The application process begins with an online screening before an on-site screening for core skills and pilot aptitude tests, among other examinations where a fee of AU$425.00 (PHP17,000.00) will be charged. CEB and FTA will jointly select the final list of candidates.

Once they complete their training and become licensed commercial pilots, the cadets will be appointed as First Officers at CEB, flying both domestic and international routes.

The successful candidates will then be sent to the FTA campus in Adelaide, Australia for 52 weeks to earn diplomas in Aviation. After that, they will move on to flight simulator training and then flight time on an actual aircraft to complete the licensing requirements to become a commercial pilot. The cadet-pilots will then return to Manila for four weeks of training to obtain a pilot's license under the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

The new programme marks an investment by CEB of US$25 million over a five-year period. Graduates will pay for the cost of the programme through salary deduction over a maximum of ten years.

CEB currently has a fleet of 59 aircraft including one Airbus A319, 35 Airbus A320s, eight Airbus A330s, eight ATR 72-500s and seven ATR 72-600 aircraft. Between 2017 and 2022, CEB expects delivery of seven Airbus A321ceos, 32 Airbus A321neos and nine ATR 72-600 aircraft. The CEB route network, including its subsidiary Cebgo, reaches 37 domestic and 25 international destinations across over 100 routes.