Press release -
Norwegian enters collaboration with pilot schools in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Spain
Norwegian is partnering with four schools for pilot education. The collaboration aims to secure future competence and workforce in a critical industry. The agreement is a win-win for the company and for cadets who are offered jobs after completing their studies.
"This is a great way for us to attract pilots. With this new agreement, we get the opportunity to get to know the cadets during their education. This also allows those who are hired by Norwegian to start working immediately while receiving Type-rating course for the aircraft the company operates, as well as other necessary theory and advanced training courses," says Guro Poulsen, PEOPLE Director at Norwegian.
These agreements are important because the aviation industry globally is expected to face an increasing need for pilots in the coming years. This is due to the aging of the current pilot workforce, increased demand for air travel, and rising education costs, which act as a barrier to becoming a pilot.
Pilot schools help secure a supply of competent labor for aviation
Norwegian has signed agreements with the pilot schools OSM Aviation Academy in Norway, Center Air Pilot Academy (CAPA) in Denmark, Lunds universitet Trafikflyghögskolan (TFHS) in Sweden, and FTEJerez in Spain. The schools are all well-regarded in the aviation industry and have strong ties to the sector, with modern aircraft fleets and teams of experienced instructors, making the schools attractive to future pilots.
The pilot training takes approximately 20 months. Students Norwegian gets to know and believes will fit into the company may be offered jobs directly after completing their studies.
Aviation is a critical infrastructure and of significant societal importance. It is vital to ensure that aviation maintains a steady flow of competent employees to sustain expertise for the future. Tens of thousands of people work in aviation from north to south. Norwegian alone employs nearly 1,300 pilots, 690 of whom are based in Norway.
The Norwegian Group, which includes Norwegian and Widerøe, is the country’s largest Norwegian aviation group, with approximately 8,500 employees in total.
These are the flight schools Norwegian will collaborate with:
- OSM Aviation Academy in Norway and Sweden
- Center Air Pilot Academy (CAPA) in Denmark
- Lunds universitet Trafikflyghögskolan (TFHS) in Sweden
- FTEJerez in Spain
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About Norwegian
The Norwegian group is a leading Nordic aviation company, headquartered at Fornebu outside Oslo, Norway. The company has over 8,200 employees and owns two of the prominent airlines in the Nordics: Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe’s Flyveselskap. Widerøe was acquired by Norwegian in 2024, aiming to facilitate seamless air travel across the two airline’s networks.
Widerøe’s Flyveselskap, Norway’s oldest airline, is Scandinavia’s largest regional carrier. The airline has more than 3,500 employees. Mainly operating the short-runway airports in rural Norway, Widerøe operates several state contract routes (PSO routes) in addition to its own commercial network. In 2023, the airline had 3.3 million passengers and a fleet of 48 aircraft, including 45 Bombardier Dash 8’s and three Embraer E190-E2's. Widerøe Ground Handling provides ground handling services at 41 Norwegian airports.
The Norwegian group has sustainability as a key priority and has committed to significantly reducing carbon emissions from its operations. Among numerous initiatives, the most noteworthy is the investment in production and use of fossil-free aviation fuel (SAF). Norwegian strives to become the sustainable choice for its passengers, actively contributing to the transformation of the aviation industry.
