I was told this week (by BA) that 3000 applied to the scheme and BA invited 85 to interviews....
Must admit 3000 sounds a bit low, even so for the sake of context you need know how many of that three thousand met the basic requirements for further consideration and OTOH how many applicants were deficient in some area (e.g short on educational requirements, right to work in the Uk) but decided to put in an application anyway. Take the "chancers", for want of a better and more sympathetic term, out of the equation and the odds improve.
The numbers sounds daunting but to be fair all/most pilot selection processes have a high rejection rate - as has always been the case.
Of course regardless of how you feel the odds are stacked you have to be in the game to win.