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British Airways currently employs around 3,270 mainline pilots to operate its mainline fleet of 248 aircraft on a huge variety of routes around the world. Each pilot is trained to the very highest standards to fly one particular fleet of aircraft. Pilots can change the type of aircraft they work on at various stages of their careers.

British Airways currently has five different fleets of aircraft. These are: Boeing 747-400 fleet; Boeing 777 fleet; Boeing 767 and 757 fleet; Airbus A320 family fleet; and the London Gatwick based Boeing 737 fleet.

Each aircraft has a minimum of two pilots onboard - a Captain and a First Officer or Senior First Officer. On longer flights there may be up to four pilots to enable each of pilot to take sufficient rest periods.

The shortest flight sector a British Airways mainline pilot would fly would be Heathrow to Manchester and the longest would be Heathrow to Singapore.

Of the approximately 3,270 pilots employed by British Airways about 175 are female. This is the highest percentage of female pilots employed by any UK based major airline and almost double the levels found across the rest of the UK commercial aviation sector.

Joining British Airways as a pilot

British Airways recruits pilots on an ongoing basis depending on its future operational requirements. Currently all British Airways' pilots are recruited through the airline's Direct Entry Scheme. This scheme is only for pilots who already have flying experience, either gained through Her Majesty's Armed Forces or from other commercial airlines.

All pilots joining British Airways, regardless of previous experience levels, start at the rank of First Officer.

There are three grades of pilots within British Airways: First Officer, Senior First Officer and Captain.

British Airways does not currently recruit and train any pilots with no previous flying experience or sponsor any pilots through training courses.

To find out more about how to become a pilot or a British Airways' pilot, log on to britishairwaysjobs.com or balpa.org.