Be between 1.57m and 1.93m tall, be able to swim, speak English fluently, have a clean criminal record, be at least 18 years old, have the right to work in the EU, hold a valid EASA class 1 medical certificate and have a secondary school diploma: these are the criteria to enrol in Luxair’s Pilot Cadet Program and have the chance to become an airline pilot.

750 candidates in 2019, only six selected

With 18 months of intensive training, this Luxair programme, launched in 2019, aims to train the pilots of tomorrow. “Our Pilot Cadet Program includes everything from classroom instruction and simulator training to hands-on, real-world flying experience,” says the airline, which has announced . Applications will be accepted until 15 October.

Another important piece of information is that the training is pre-financed by Luxair and is due to start at the beginning of 2024. Asked by Delano’s sister publication Paperjam about the cost of such training, the company had not yet responded.

In 2019, Luxair’s training programme was very popular. The airline received 750 applications from several European countries. After a strict pre-selection process, 88 candidates were selected to take a psychometric test in Germany. Only 24 candidates were allowed to continue the adventure. In the end, six candidates, including one from Luxembourg, were selected to train as airline pilots, again in Germany, before joining the cohort of pilots at Luxair.

20 new pilots in 2022

In its activity report, the airline stresses that it has welcomed 80 new cabin crew members, and, above all, 20 new pilots to strengthen its flight operations. The report does not mention the number of departures in the past year.

Furthermore, Luxair has also focused on training its teams in order to maintain its employees’ technical skills at the highest level. In 2022, the group’s training hours increased by 28% compared to 2021. Taking a closer look at the details, cabin crew and pilots have benefited from a 34% increase in training hours.

The airline has also begun to renew its fleet, placing an order for .

Luxair already owns 11 De Havilland Q-400s, four Boeing 737-700s and four Boeing 737-800s (the previous generation). The airline also has two German Airways Embraer aircraft on lease until November 2023.

Luxair ended 2022 with a , an operating profit of €1.5m and a turnover of €658m. These figures are higher than in the previous three years.

This article was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.