On February 5, 2024, the 21st group of 16 students began their professional pilot studies at the airBaltic Pilot Academy. Their aim is to receive a commercial pilot license upon completion of the full-time airline transport pilot program.
Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “Highly-trained personnel is one of the key factors in the successful operations of any airline. Since its establishment, the airBaltic Pilot Academy has educated skilled aviation professionals, with over 120 active students currently pursuing their dreams here. Therefore, we congratulate the young and determined students of the 21st group, who began their studies today to become professional pilots.”
The 21st group of cadets represents countries such as Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Netherlands.
There are 123 active students at the airBaltic Pilot Academy at the moment. Most of them are from Baltic countries, however, there are students also from other EU countries such as Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain among others. Overall, more than 10% of airBaltic Pilot Academy students are female. As for now, 95 students, after graduating, have joined airBaltic.
Students of the airBaltic Pilot Academy have to cover the costs of ATPL theory studies and 45 flight hours, costing EUR 15 000. After passing airBaltic pilot assessment and becoming an employee of the company, the airline will provide financing (loan) for the rest of the studies.
airBaltic in brief:
airBaltic (Air Baltic Corporation AS) is a joint stock company that was established in 1995. Its primary shareholder is the Latvian state, which holds 97.97% of the stock, while the rest of the shareholders hold 2.03%. airBaltic offers connections to more than 70 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Caucasus region. Over the last 28 years airBaltic has developed as a strong and internationally respected airline, which employs more than 2 500 employees. The airBaltic fleet consists of 46 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, making it one of the youngest fleets in Europe. The airline has received several international awards for excellence, innovative services and significant achievements. Skytrax has awarded airBaltic two years in a row as the best airline in its region. Additionally, in 2022, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) awarded airBaltic the Diversity and Inclusion Team Award. In 2023 the airline received the APEX Passenger Choice Award of Best Cabin Service in Europe.
airBalticTraining, a subsidiary of airBaltic, is a training facility offering a wide range of aviation training services in its modern and purpose-built training centre in Riga, Latvia. It was established in 2010 and since then each year provides training to approximately 3 000 professionals from across the world – more than 1 500 pilots, almost 1 000 cabin crew members and several hundred of ground handlers, cargo agents, security personnel and others.
