easyJet “pilots” talking billboard and aptitude test in new pan European recruitment campaign to find the next generation of pilots

The online test assesses some of the key skills required to become an airline pilot and has been designed to encourage more people to consider the career. With no prior aviation knowledge or flying experience required, easyJet is giving people the opportunity to test their aptitude for some of the key skills needed to be an airline pilot, like sense of direction and reaction speed.

To launch the campaign, easyJet is also “piloting” a talking billboard – featuring a real-life easyJet pilot strapped to a billboard in Central London today.

The test and ad are part of a new first-of-its-kind pilot recruitment campaign from the airline, ahead of the opening of its 2024 Pilot Training Programme in the coming weeks. The airline’s pilot training programme takes aspiring pilots with little to no flying experience to operating a commercial passenger jet in around two years with its intensive, industry-leading training course.

The interactive campaign aims to debunk prevalent myths and misconceptions about the job, after research from easyJet found that 57% of those polled believe that a university degree is required to become a pilot, and 80% think that 20/20 vision is a necessity, when neither are in fact needed to apply.

The new test is being rolled out online targeting female audiences, in a bid to encourage more women to try the test and consider the job. The new campaign forms part of easyJet’s ongoing drive to encourage more women to join the profession, as more than half (59%) of British adults surveyed still believe there are misconceptions that a pilot is a job for a man. New research from the airline also revealed twice as many men (32%) considered becoming a pilot compared to women (15%).

Captain Sarah Ackerley was spotted answering questions from the public, providing advice and insight into her career, and encouraging more people to take the test via the QR code on the billboard.

Ann McKenzie was one of those who took up the challenge – she said: “I’ve always loved travelling and seeing the world, but I didn’t think I’d discover that I have the right skills to become a pilot on my Wednesday morning commute. I might have to think of a career change after getting such a strong test result and quizzing a female pilot!”

The interactive ad was launched after a recent survey of 2,000 British parents and their children from the airline showed that visible role models play a critical role in people’s job ambitions, particularly for young people.

When asked why they believed that pilot is a role for men, the top reason given by children was that they had never seen a female pilot (41%) and of those young girls surveyed, nearly half 47% said they believe a pilot is a job for a man.

easyJet Captain Sarah Ackerley, said: “Tackling gender stereotyping within aviation has been a long-standing mission for easyJet and I’m excited to be part of this latest campaign that’s allowing people to get a real insight into what skills are really important to do this job, and encourage more women into the profession. It’s an immensely rewarding career that I’m proud to champion and I hope by more people taking our new interactive test, they can challenge themselves to discover a talent they never knew they had and I hope to see them flying with us in the future.”

The new campaign builds on ongoing work by easyJet to inspire the next generation of aviators and encourage more women into the career. easyJet has been tackling this industry challenge for a number of years through initiatives including recruitment campaigns, its pilot school visits programme and Summer Flight School.

As a result, today 7.5% of easyJet’s pilots in in the UK are women, compared to the UK industry average of 6.5% with around 300 women including 99 Captains now flying for the airline, which will continue its efforts to see these numbers further grow.

To apply to easyJet’s Pilot Training Programme, aspiring pilots need to be aged 18 or over by the time they begin training and have a minimum of 5 General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) of Grade C or above (or equivalent), including Mathematics, Science and English language – no higher qualifications or degrees are required.