Cathay Pacific celebrated the graduation of the latest batch of cadet pilots who completed its Cadet Pilot Training Programme.
This batch is unique in the sense that they are the first class whose ground theory training was conducted in-house by Cathay Academy.
In turn, this reflects Cathay’s expertise in creating and delivering tailored and comprehensive training.
Cathay chief operations and service delivery officer Alex McGowan welcomed Civil Aviation Department acting director-general of civil aviation Clara Wong as the guest of honour at the graduation ceremony, which was held on Friday, 16th May, at the airline’s Cathay City headquarters.
Wong was moved to remark: “For over 35 years, Cathay Pacific’s cadet pilot training programme has served as a cornerstone for nurturing local aviation talent. From engaging more flying schools around the world, to having theory courses taught by local institutions, and now Cathay Academy, together we are making history. This evolution aims to make pilot training more effective, efficient and sustainable.”
McGowan added: “Developing aviation talent has always been a priority for Cathay. Our Cadet Pilot Training Programme provides us with world-class aviators, many of whom have gone on to hold senior training positions with us, as well as key flying leadership roles. Today’s graduation carries special significance as it marks our first group of cadet pilots to go through our very own Cathay Academy ground school, including Multi Crew Cooperation training in our simulators. This enables us to ensure the highest quality training, get closer to our future pilots, and enrich their overall experience. It also expands our ability to develop future generations of aviation talent locally.”
Extensive training at the hands of experts
In addition to the theoretical ground training, these cadet pilots also underwent flight training at AeroGuard Flight Training Center in Arizona and Multi Crew Cooperation (MCC) training in flight simulators with Cathay Academy before graduating from the programme.
The 34 graduates making up the class have since joined Cathay Pacific as Second Officers and commenced flying duty.
Currently, there are more than 500 cadet pilots in training as part of the Cadet Pilot Training Programme.
Today, Cathay Pacific currently operates multi-path integrated courses for training its cadet pilots, including courses developed with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and its in-house Cathay Academy.
Each course sees cadets first undertake theoretical ground training, then flight training at AeroGuard Flight Training Center in Arizona or Flight Training Adelaide in Adelaide, followed by multi-crew simulator training also developed by Cathay Academy at the airline’s Cathay City headquarters in Hong Kong.
Cathay Pacific’s Cadet Pilot Training Programme was launched in 1988, and its present roster of alumni includes 185 Captains, more than 40 of whom are Training Captains.
The airline also has seven management pilots who earned their wings through the programme.
Since 2022, the Cadet Pilot Training Programme has provided training for more than 1,000 cadet pilots.
As Cathay continues to play its part in elevating Hong Kong’s status as a leading international aviation hub, it targets to recruit more than 130 cadet pilots in 2025 as an airline Group.
