Virgin Atlantic has opened up recruitment for First Officers across both Airbus and Boeing fleets for the first time since 2020.
The demand for First Officers comes as Virgin Atlantic increases capacity across its network. New flying includes its first ever service to Austin, Texas which launched in May 2022, a new route to Tampa, Florida which starts on 3rd November alongside a seasonal service to Cape Town, South Africa, which begins on 5th November.
Virgin Atlantic has one of the youngest, cleanest, and most technologically advanced twin-engine wide-body fleet of any airline. This includes the A350-1000 aircraft, Boeing 787 Dreamliners and also Virgin Atlantic’s newest aircraft, the A330-900 NEO, which will take to the skies in October 2022 with a redesigned Upper Class cabin. The airline will take delivery of three A330-900 NEO aircraft in 2022 with the remaining 13 deliveries following between 2023 and 2026.
Following the impact of the pandemic, Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to create a holding pool to welcome back pilots and cabin crew when increased flying allowed. All the hold pool pilots who passed interview have re-joined or have confirmed start dates and Virgin Atlantic is now ready to restart external recruitment. The airline anticipates it will need 100 additional pilots by Summer 2023 with a further 60 by Summer 2024 and a further 40 by Summer 2025.
