• easyJet’s Summer Flight School will offer free Pilot and Cabin Crew training experiences for kids ages 7 – 12 this summer holiday to inspire more kids to get into aviation
• The initiative is part of the airline’s work to drive greater diversity in the industry by challenging outdated gendered stereotypes of jobs like pilots and cabin crew
• New research by the airline has shown that 86% of parents believe gender stereotypes begin at primary school age and around four in ten (37%) children still believe being a pilot is a job exclusively for men
• Summer Flight School will take off on the 21st August with free places available to book from Monday 7th August

EasyJet announced today the introduction of a new Summer Flight School to address persisting gender stereotypes about pilot and cabin crew positions and encourage more young people to seek a career in aviation.

As new airline research shows that nearly four in ten children (37%) believe that being a pilot is a job only for men, easyJet is inviting children aged 7 to 12 to go behind the scenes at its training centre for hands-on training experiences with real easyJet pilots and crew, in order to challenge these outdated stereotypes.

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Children will have the chance to pilot an Airbus A320 flight simulator at the airline’s first-ever event of its kind, discover what it takes to give passengers the finest in-flight experience and ask easyJet pilots and cabin crew about their professions and how they got there.

EasyJet’s newest initiative, Summer Flight School, is part of the airline’s ongoing efforts to promote greater diversity in the industry’s many areas where there is still a major gender imbalance, particularly for pilots and cabin staff.

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The airline hopes its Summer Flight School will inspire a new generation of aviators as well as the 87% of parents who said they struggle to find cheap or free activities for their kids during the holidays by offering a distinctive and immersive free experience blending fun, education, and hands-on activities.

When it comes to organising a family day out, over 92% of parents believe that “edutainment,” or activities that give their kids the chance to learn something new while having fun, is crucial. More than half (54%) of parents specifically want something that will spark a new interest for their children.

The majority of primary school-aged kids (70%) said getting to fly a plane during the summer break was the most exciting thing they could do, and half (50%) said their ideal profession as adults would be to be a pilot or member of the cabin crew.