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Funding for UK pilot training

25 sponsorships, scholarships and loans. Each record shows the date it was last checked and links to its source.

  • Speedbird Pilot Academy (Fully Funded) — British Airways; BA funds the c.£100,000 training cost (BA's figure). Up to 160 places in 2026 (£18m investment).; status: closed; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • TUI Airline Multi-Crew Pilot Licence (MPL) Cadet Programme — TUI Airways Ltd; No upfront cost. Training costs are deducted pre-tax from the Second Officer salary over four years (full-time salary £68,459 before deductions).; status: paused; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Ryanair Future Flyer Academy — Ryanair; Self-funded: £131,400 at Skyborne, the UK partner. You pay a £15,000 non-refundable deposit to secure a place. You pay the balance in five instalments of £23,280 over 12 months. Ask the school for a current itemised quotation.; status: open; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Virgin Atlantic Future Flyers Programme — Virgin Atlantic; No funding is currently offered while the programme is paused.; status: paused; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme — easyJet; Self-funded: €115,000 course price (includes VAT, exams, uniform and resits under CAE FOQI). Not sponsored.; status: open; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • MAF Future Pilot Programme — Mission Aviation Fellowship; Partnership and support-raising model leading to mission-aviation service. Ask MAF to confirm accommodation, living expenses, support-raising responsibilities and any repayment conditions in writing.; status: closed; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Jet2FlightPath Fully Funded Pilot Training — Jet2.com; Fully funded 18-month ATPL, type rating and initial Class 1 medical (excluding costs from additional investigations for adverse results). Jet2 contrasts this with the "£100,000-plus" cost of self-funded training. Annual medical renewals are reimbursed.; status: closed; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Royal Air Force University Air Squadron (UAS) Bursary Scheme — Royal Air Force (RAF); £3,000–£6,000 a year in the second and third years of university study, plus up to £55 a day for up to 30 training days. The £6,000 rate applies to Control Officer, ATC and Weapons Controller, WSO, WSO (Linguist) and Musician roles, not pilot.; status: open; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Flying Scholarships for Disabled People (FSDP) — FSDP Charity; Flying training (up to 16 or 20 hours, PA-28 or microlight), ground school, accommodation and food. Scholars pay their own travel.; status: open; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Royal Aero Club Trust Bursaries — Royal Aero Club Trust; Named bursaries plus additional bursaries of up to £500 each, for gliding, paragliding, hang-gliding, parachuting, microlights, light aircraft, helicopters and other air sports.; status: upcoming; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • LAA Armstrong-Isaacs Bursaries — Light Aircraft Association; £1,500 per bursary, paid directly to the chosen flying school for flying training and flight examinations only. The number of bursaries is not confirmed.; status: closed; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Sir Geoffrey de Havilland Flying Scholarship — Worshipful Company of Coachmakers; Up to £10,000 towards PPL training on DH82A Tiger Moths with Cambridge Flying Group. Any remainder is self-funded.; status: open; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Coachmakers Leatherland Flying Scholarship — Worshipful Company of Coachmakers; 4 scholarships of £7,500 each, normally about 50% of the cost of the standard hours for a UK or EASA PPL. Covers flying and ground lessons, equipment, software, publications and exam fees. The scholar pays the rest.; status: open; last checked 12 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Bristow Search and Rescue Pilot Cadetship — Bristow Helicopters; Bristow-sponsored commercial helicopter training. Castle Air says applicants are responsible for their own living costs during its approximately 24-month course.; status: closed; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Honourable Company of Air Pilots PPL Scholarships — Honourable Company of Air Pilots; Up to 40 hours of flying training, up to licence issue, at a UK flying school approved by the Company.; status: upcoming; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Air League Flying Scholarships — Air League; Multiple scholarship types: 3-hour introductory (2 days), 5-hour intermediate (3-4 days), 12-hour advanced (10 days), up to 2 full PPL scholarships worth £12,000+ each. Electric flying scholarships (5 hours on Pipistrel Velis Electro) also available.; status: upcoming; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • ACS Aviation Scholarship — ACS Aviation; Two scholarships "worth over £4,500" each: 8 hours in a Tecnam P-Mentor, 12 months' ACS membership and a Bose A30 headset.; status: closed; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • BWPA Flying Scholarships (2026) — British Women Pilots Association; 15 flying and ground-school scholarships (several £2,500 cash awards) plus 9 Pooleys kit and voucher awards.; status: closed; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Path 2 Pilot Distance Learning Scholarship — Path2Pilot; An award for a subsidised place on a UK CAA or EASA ATPL distance-learning ground-school course; exact value and whether a full-cost award is offered for the current round must be confirmed.; status: unconfirmed; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Flight Instructor Certificate Scholarship — Honourable Company of Air Pilots; All direct training and examination costs for the FI(A) certificate.; status: upcoming; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Professional Qualification Loan — Lendwise Ltd; £5,000–£100,000. No repayments during full-time study. Fixed rate.; status: available; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Flight-Training Loan Broker (Secured/Unsecured) — Pegasus Personal Finance; Broker comparing lenders for flight-training loans, with the aim of borrowing the full course fees and no deposit (Airplay Aviation partnership). Amounts are set by the lender.; status: available; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • 2Fly Secured/Unsecured Cadet Loans — 2Fly (finance partners including Lendwise); Secured: up to 100% of fees (from c.4.6% APR, up to 25 years, no holiday). Unsecured: up to 50% of fees (from 6% APR, up to 10 years, holiday of up to c.17 months).; status: available; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Student Finance England + Bank Top-up — SFE + Various Banks; Tuition fee loan of up to £9,790 a year for courses starting in 2026/27 (about £29,370 over three years) plus a maintenance loan. Flight-training fees are extra and not covered.; status: available; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)
  • Helicentre Commercial Helicopter Pilot Scholarship — Helicentre Aviation; Fully funded CPL(H) scholarship (secondary reports suggest about £65,000). Helicentre says it has awarded £1.4m+ since 2012.; status: open; last checked 11 Oct 2026 (source)