Cathay Pacific recently celebrated the graduation of its first group of cadet pilots since the pandemic. After completing the 55-week Cadet Pilot Training Programme, the 19 graduates joined the airline as Second Officers in July. Cathay Pacific currently operates two parallel cadet training courses, and these graduates were part of the airline's original Flight Training Adelaide-hosted programme, which coincidently marked its 35th anniversary in June. The airline has more recently developed integrated courses with Hong Kong Polytechnic University and its own in-house Cathay Academy, with cadets undertaking theoretical ground training and simulator training in Hong Kong, and flight training in Arizona or Adelaide. A total of 177 cadet pilots are expected to graduate from both programmes in 2023, and Cathay Pacific hopes to recruit more than 800 cadet pilots during 2023-2024.
