United commits to 50% diversity at new pilot school in effort to reshape airline training

Plans to train 5,000 new pilots by 2030 — half of them women or people of colour — have been revealed by United Airlines as part of a long-term drive to diversify the profession and address the sector’s looming pilot shortage

United Airlines has set a goal for half of all students at its new pilot training academy to be women or people of colour, as the U.S. carrier moves to address one of aviation’s most persistent imbalances and widen access to high-earning cockpit careers.

The United Aviate Academy — the only flight school owned by a major U.S. airline — aims to train 5,000 new pilots by 2030, with guaranteed jobs at United on completion of the programme. 

Backed by scholarships and new financing agreements, the airline said the initiative would remove traditional barriers to entry for candidates from under-represented backgrounds.

“Over the next decade, United will train 5,000 pilots who will be guaranteed a job with United, after they complete the requirements of the Aviate programme – and our plan is for half of them to be women and people of colour,” United’s chief executive, Scott Kirby, said. “We’re excited that JPMorgan Chase has agreed to support our work to diversify our pilot ranks and create new opportunities for thousands of women and people of colour who want to pursue a career in aviation.”

United and JPMorgan Chase have each pledged US$1.2 million in scholarships to support eligible applicants, while a partnership with Sallie Mae will offer private loans to ensure that “no highly qualified, highly motivated, eligible applicants will be turned away solely because they can’t afford to enrol.”

The Chicago-based airline has also partnered with historically Black universities — including Delaware State, Elizabeth City State and Hampton University — to identify and recruit promising candidates. 

It is working with groups such as the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, Sisters of the Skies, the Latino Pilots Association and the Professional Asian Pilots Association to award the scholarships and mentor students through the training process.

Ed Olebe, President of Chase Co-Brand Cards, said: “Investing in this programme directly aligns with our efforts to advance racial equity by expanding career development opportunities and making tangible progress in a field where women and people of colour are underrepresented.”

The academy, based in Phoenix, Arizona, will enrol its first 100 students this year, with the first class of 20 due to begin training in the third quarter of 2021 and graduate in 2022. 

United said aspiring pilots could progress from zero flying hours to a commercial licence within a year, and reach the cockpit of a United aircraft within five.

The Aviate programme forms part of the airline’s broader recruitment and training strategy amid an industry-wide pilot shortage in North America. 

It offers what United calls the most direct route from training to a captain’s seat at a major airline, including mentoring, career development and limited travel privileges during training.

READ MORE: ‘United expands European network with four new routes for summer 2026’. The U.S. carrier is expanding its summer network with new direct services from Newark to Split, Bari, Glasgow and Santiago de Compostela — a push into secondary European markets that underlines its dominance of the transatlantic corridor.

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_{Main image: Students at United Aviate Academy in Phoenix, part of the airline’s initiative to train 5,000 new pilots by 2030 with a goal for half to be women or people of colour. Credit: Aviate Academy}