The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has called on the government to reform the UK's pilot apprenticeship scheme, warning that the high cost of flight training continues to prevent aspiring pilots from entering the profession.
The union, which represents more than 10,000 pilots, wants ministers to work with airlines and industry stakeholders to address shortcomings in the existing apprenticeship framework and establish a more accessible route into commercial aviation.
The intervention follows Prime Minister Andy Burnham's pledge to increase investment in apprenticeships and improve employment opportunities for young people.
Although an apprenticeship standard for commercial airline pilots already exists, BALPA argues that changes are needed to make the pathway more practical for employers and prospective trainees.
Zohra Francis, acting general secretary of BALPA, said: “Being a pilot is a rewarding and enjoyable career, one of the best available to young people, but one for which cost of training is often a barrier.
"There already is an apprenticeship scheme for pilots which needs some changes so it works for the industry and increases pathways into aviation.”
She added: “I’m asking the government to sit down with BALPA, the airlines and stakeholders to iron out the problems and make the pilot apprenticeship work, so that everyone with the right potential and ambition, regardless of their background can have a real chance of becoming a pilot.”
The wider context strengthens the story: BALPA estimates that pilot training and a type rating can cost up to £130,000, while the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed in February 2026 that a training organisation had been approved to deliver the first officer apprenticeship.
British Airways is also investing £18 million in up to 160 fully funded pilot training places this year, illustrating the role airline-funded schemes can play alongside apprenticeships.
BALPA's latest appeal therefore centres on making an existing apprenticeship route work in practice, rather than creating a new qualification.
