Alitalia Cadet Pilot Programme (2018)

[04jharrison]

Thought I’d start a thread for the 2018 Alitalia Cadet Pilot Programme!

Has anyone else applied? If so any news back yet? :8

[Chris the Robot]

I don't have €130k sitting around, I don't speak Italian and I'm over 25.

They have mentioned banking connections to enable loans but they haven't stated what sort of security is required, most likely a house.

I don't know what the financial health of the airline is at the moment though it hasn't always been terrific.

[Banana Joe]

€130k for a worthless MPL license and just to be considered for a position to fly an Ejet for Alitalia CityLiner. There is no guarantee. The flight training is done at Urbe Aero, you can do your frozen ATPL for around €65k if you want to study in Rome and get a more complete license that would allow you apply to several places.

[Nurse2Pilot]

Why do you say an MPL is worthless?

[Banana Joe]

Why do you say an MPL is worthless?
Because you are bonded to the airline you do the course with, and if they don't hire you then you are pretty much screwed because you can't apply to other airlines.

They are not guaranteeing any job.

[Nurse2Pilot]

How can they put you through training then not hire you? Would they not want people who they would hire go through the program? I don't quite understand how this is possible.

[Banana Joe]

How can they put you through training then not hire you? Would they not want people who they would hire go through the program? I don't quite understand how this is possible.
I don't know either but I can tell you our flag carrier still is not doing well and now it seems the current Government is thinking of nationalizing the airline, whereas the previous one was planning on selling it. It's just a mess.

[Nurse2Pilot]

So you're saying MPL is worthless because you're bonded to the airline and they might not hire you because they do not guarantee a job (not even a conditional offer?) but I wonder how often this happens? What use is an unemployed pilot to an airline that has trained him but will not give him a job?

Reading this website, however, I don't think it's a bonded scheme but rather a bank loan?
https://www.alitalia.com/en_gb/fly-alitalia/news-and-activities/news/cadet-pilot-alitalia.html

I think it's weird though that the airline itself is advertising this and then says "for possible future needs by Alitalia".... just for clarification, is MPL training airline specific? ie, if you go through this training with this airline or flight school, you can't apply to other airlines with your MPL completed?

[Jetstream alpha]

ie, if you go through this training with this airline or flight school, you can't apply to other airlines with your MPL completed?

Correct, throughout the MPL you will be trained to the SOPs as set out by Alitalia. If, during your training (or in fact until you get an ATPL once you have 1500 hours) the needs of Alitalia change and you are no longer required then your MPL is worthless.

There are some cases I believe where MPLs have been moved over to another airline but I think this was an exceptional case and where another airline that ran another MPL course but through the same flying school took on the trainee pilots. As I don't think there are any other airlines that run MPL programs through this flying school I don't think it would be happen.

[Nurse2Pilot]

Thanks for clarifying! 130K EUR loan on an MPL for sketchy employment afterwards = good reasons to stay away.

[FightFireWithFire]

Around 10 years ago they did the same thing with the Skymaster course and many guys were left with no job and loans of 1000/1500€ per month to pay.
They opened another course few years ago and the cadets should now be ready ,but I have no news about them.

[Banana Joe]

As far as I know, they have started flying recently. They did a 4-year MPL course in Abu Dhabi.

[Nurse2Pilot]

4-year? Typo, I hope!

[Banana Joe]

Nope, 4-year.