New UK Flight School Targets Gap in Modular Pilot Training

Oxford Airline Training (OAT) —established in June 2025 as a sister company to Triple J Aviation Engineering—has relaunched the Oxford pilot training brand at London Oxford Airport, UK. OAT says its relaunch of the Oxford pilot training brand is rooted in a clear assessment of what has long held back the UK’s modular pilot training pathway. For more than a decade, it says the modular market has been dominated by smaller general aviation schools that were never designed -or capitalised — to deliver consistent, scalable professional airline training. The result has been a sector defined by variable standards, limited capacity, and fragmented investment, creating disparities in trainee experience and in how modular graduates are perceived by airline recruiters.

The company is now investing significantly to deliver an expanded portfolio of UK CAA approved Modular professional pilot training programmes.

Operating from a 55,000 sq ft purpose-built facility, Oxford Airline Training will begin delivering its first modules in April 2026, including Airline Pilot Standards Multi-Crew Cooperation (APS MCC) and MCC Instructor training. These programmes will be conducted using both A320-CEO FTD and Boeing 737NG FTD1 simulators, supported by modern classrooms, briefing rooms, and high-quality operational spaces designed for an enhanced trainee and airline customer experience. 

Additional modules—including Advanced Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (AUPRT)—will follow in Spring 2026. Multi-Engine Class Rating, Instrument Rating, and Commercial Pilot Licence courses are planned for release later in 2026.

Training will be further supported by two DA42 FNPTII simulators, a Super Decathlon aircraft for AUPRT, and up to six Diamond DA42 TDI aircraft for multi-engine flight training. All simulators and aircraft are currently on-site, and will be maintained on-site at the same facility by Triple J Aviation Engineering.

Graduates who complete all professional modules of training with Oxford Airline Training, will also have a dedicated Airline Careers Centre service, designed to strengthen pathways into airline employment. OAT believes modular trainees have not always had the same visibility with airline recruiters as integrated programme graduates, and its Airline Careers Centre is designed to help bridge that gap. The company also plans to introduce a turnkey 125-hour 'Airline Ready' modular programme, combining contiguous training with graduate support, aimed at improving how modular graduates are trained and presented to airline employers.

Co-founders Anthony Petteford and John Hardcastle (experienced leaders and investors in the aviation industry), highlighted the need for a modern, scalable, customer- oriented and ethically operated Modular pilot training alternative in the UK:

“The Modular pilot training pathway is equally valid for airline entry and deserves the same level of investment, quality, and commitment as Integrated and MPL routes. Our overall goal is to deliver well-trained, resilient graduates while supporting airline diversity and recruitment objectives.”