Recruitment Drive: British Airways & BA Euroflyer Seek Direct Entry Airbus A320 Pilots

British Airways and its subsidiary BA Euroflyer are bolstering their Airbus A320 pilot teams with direct entry job openings. Applications will close on April 14th and require at least 500 hours or 100 sectors.

BA’s A320 recruitment drive

The British carrier is looking to bring in outside recruits to pilot its Airbus A320-family fleet ahead of the busy summer travel season. The First Officer job posting seeks “experienced high caliber pilots” for both British Airways and its short-haul subsidiary BA Euroflyer.

Photo: Senohrabek | Shutterstock

The experience requirement will be higher to apply to British Airways – 500 hours or 100 sectors on the A320 or 1,500 hours on an aircraft type that satisfies Zero Flight Time Training (ZFTT) and flown this type in the last 12 months – while pilots applying to BA Euroflyer will require 500 hours or 100 sectors on an aircraft type that satisfies ZFTT and flown this type in the last 12 months.

The application process adds that preference will be given to pilots that hold a current A320 rating and that all applicants must hold a UK Part-FCL Licence or have initiated the transfer process with the CAA.

BA currently operates a fleet of 30 Airbus A319s, 86 Airbus A320s and 27 Airbus A321s, while BA Euroflyer has seven A320-200s and four A321-200s. In October, BA’s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), confirmed it would bolster its Airbus orderbook with an additional 37 Airbus A320neos, taking it to 59 A320neo-family aircraft ordered in 2022.

Some of the perks

Getting on the roster at British Airways or BA Euroflyer can lead to major career opportunities, including the chance to move up to captain and pilot larger aircraft once you’ve racked up seniority. First-year pilots at BA Euroflyer can expect to earn around £65,000, which will go up year-by-year as per the airline’s 12-year pay scale – Euroflyer pilots will also be placed on the British Airways master seniority list, granting the same bidding rights as a mainline BA pilot.

A spokesperson for British Airways said,

“Some of the benefits include staff travel benefits from day one, a competitive employment package, a large route network, state-of-the-art training facilities, and career development options including command opportunities, and the opportunity to move to other fleets (including long-haul) further into your career.”

Company benefits include Defined Contribution pension scheme and generous Life Assurance cover, along with several voluntary benefit schemes such as Private Medical cover, Dental and Critical Illness cover, Technology Scheme, Cycle to Work and Electric Car Scheme.

Avoiding a repeat of last summer

Simple Flying readers may recall the major schedule cuts at British Airways last summer as a result of staff shortages. In July, the carrier announced it would cut 11% of its summer schedule – or around 1,000 flight cancelations across Greece, Spain, and Portugal – which affected approximately one million passengers.

Photo: Fasttailwind / Shutterstock

The airline reopened its recruitment scheme last summer in light of the shortages, emphasizing the development of new talent for its short-haul fleet, particularly pilots for its A320s.

Would you be interested in applying for a First Officer position at British Airways or BA Euroflyer? Have you ever flown for these airlines before? Let us know in the comments.