“Astounding” response to the Mangōpare Air New Zealand Pilot Cadetship

The dream of flying has inspired nearly 2,000 to apply for the Mangōpare Air New Zealand Pilot Cadetship, demonstrating the strong desire of Kiwis to pursue a career as a pilot.

The cadetship, a first for Air New Zealand, is designed to be an all-inclusive training programme that accelerates the journey to becoming a fully qualified ATR pilot from the typical 24-36 months to approximately 14 months.

Applications closed last week, with thousands of Kiwis applying. All applicants who met the requirements were invited to complete various aptitude tests and interviews online.

Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Captain David Morgan said the airline is encouraged by the enthusiastic response from aspiring aviators interested in the Mangōpare Air New Zealand Pilot Cadetship.

“The response to the cadetship has been astounding, and we have been impressed with the incredibly high calibre of applicants from across Aotearoa. We’re excited to have a new generation of pilots to connect New Zealanders with each other and the world.

“We always knew there would be plenty of Kiwis out there who wanted to pursue a career as a pilot but who might have needed a little bit of help to achieve their dream, and it is a privilege to play a supporting role in that.

“It has been incredibly inspiring to see applications from a wide range of New Zealanders, all of whom come with their own unique stories and dreams about why they want to be a pilot for Air New Zealand.

“Applications have now been reviewed, with a shortlist of prospective cadets being invited to in-person interviews with our selection panel in Auckland from this week. Everything is on track to have the first cohort commencing their training in Arizona from September,” Captain Morgan said.

Air New Zealand has also received positive engagement through the Expression of Interest (EOI) process, aimed at identifying New Zealand-based training organisations to deliver a fully integrated pilot training cadetship aligned with our turboprop operations.

“We look forward to evaluating the EOI responses over the coming months, with the intention of establishing a similar training programme with New Zealand-based schools in the future,” Captain Morgan said.