Starting June 2025, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is set to remove the advance financial contribution that it would normally require SWISS pilot training students to pay. Instead, the company will cover the costs in the form of a loan.

Currently, students who form part of the SWISS training program receive a subsidy from the Swiss Confederation as well as a loan from the company, but there is still a sizeable advance payment students must make in addition to meet training costs.

With the new initiative, students will no longer have to pay that amount in advance. Instead, upon completion of their training and being accepted into the Crew Corps, SWISS’ loan will be repaid in instalments during students’ employment, with minimal interest rate.

SWISS is expecting to need an annual influx of some 110 new pilots in the coming years. Removing the financial burden for prospective pilots will help alleviate that demand, as well as provide more opportunities for aspiring pilots who could not previously afford the program.

SWISS chief operating officer, Oliver Buchofer, said of the new initiative: “Anyone with the right natural skills should be able to become a SWISS pilot, regardless of their financial background. And in taking this step, we are both ensuring that we can meet our own long-term cockpit crewing needs and making the dream of a pilot career a good deal more achievable.”