easyJet launches Flight Paths cabin crew taster sessions to inspire young people and tackle record youth unemployment
(NEWS) LUTON, 2025-Aug-19 — /Travel PR News/ — easyJet has launched a new initiative, Flight Paths, as part of its annual recruitment drive to encourage more young people in the UK to pursue careers in aviation and help tackle rising youth unemployment. The airline is offering free taster sessions this summer at its London Gatwick Training Centre for 18–24 year olds, providing hands-on experience and insights into the role of cabin crew. The move comes as official figures reveal one in seven people aged 16–24 are now classed as NEET (not in employment, education, or training), the highest level in more than a decade.
Alongside its cabin crew recruitment campaign, easyJet is also expanding its operations at London Luton Airport with the opening of a new maintenance hangar in 2026. The facility will create over 30 new jobs and serve as the base for a new apprenticeship training campus, providing opportunities for the next generation of aviation engineers. The hangar will deliver additional engineering capacity to support easyJet’s growing fleet and improve operational efficiency. Recruitment for engineering roles is already underway, with apprenticeship recruitment beginning in October 2025.
With around 1,000 new cabin crew roles available in 2026, easyJet hopes the Flight Paths programme will dispel misconceptions that prevent young people from applying, including the belief that minimum education requirements apply and that the role is gender-specific. Research commissioned by the airline found that 92% of young people were unaware no formal qualifications are required to become cabin crew, while nearly nine in ten had never considered the career despite more than half expressing interest in working in aviation.
The sessions will showcase the skills, career progression, and travel opportunities available, with easyJet leaders, including Michael Brown, Director of Cabin Services, and Natalie Puncher, Head of Customer and Inflight Standards, highlighting their own career journeys. Aviation Minister Mike Kane praised the scheme as a way of breaking down barriers and supporting young people into rewarding careers in aviation.
