Historically Diverse, 80% Female/Minority Class Outpaces Airline’s Equity Goals In Inaugural Course

United’s Aviate Academy, the sole flight school owned and operated by a legacy domestic airline in the US, opened the first class in its Goodyear, Arizona location.

The academy boasts 50,000 sq ft of classroom space, with on site student dormitory housing and the best flight training weather in the world. 

The initiative is a big part of the airline’s efforts to replenish stocks of retiring pilots with 10,000 fresh additions by 2030, with at least half of those coming from the Academy. While the numbers are daunting, United has set a goal to ensure less than 50% of their new pilots are the traditionally European-descended males associated with the career. The opening class passed their goal by a fair magin, says United, which “welcomed a historic inaugural class of future pilots, 80% of whom are women or people of color.” Their selection of students bodes well for their goals going forward, proving the efficacy of their marketing blitz at filling seats. The announcement of their new classes throughout the media landscape reportedly brought thousands of applicants. 

“As a United pilot for more than 32 years, it's exciting to see these new students earning their wings and beginning their aviation careers, and I’m looking forward to them joining me on the flight deck one day,” said United chief pilot Mary Ann Schaffer.

“We need more pilots and a more diverse pool of young aviators, and United Aviate Academy will help us achieve both goals.” 

FMI: https://unitedaviate.com/aviate-program-career-paths/united-aviate-academy/