Airline Flybe to award degrees

Low cost airline Flybe is one of only three companies in the UK which will be able to award their own qualifications.

Flybe, which bills itself as ‘Europe’s largest regional airline’ and is based at Exeter airport, will be able to award qualifications in its airline trainer programme to cabin crew and engineering staff from level 2 (GCSE) up to degree level (level 4).

“This is a tremendous honour for Flybe and is testament to our first class training and development programmes,” comments Flybe chairman and chief executive, Jim French.

“As a business that sets and achieves high standards within a necessarily highly regulated industry, we have met the demanding Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) standards in our own right in our sector – being the first airline in the UK to achieve this, an achievement that we are extremely proud of,” adds French.

The other companies that will be able to award their own qualifications are fast food chain McDonald’s and rail company Network Rail. McDonald’s will be able to award qualifications up to A level, while Network Rail will offer qualifications up to PhD level.

As well as flights from its regional base at Exeter airport, low fares airline Flybe also offers flights from many other UK airports including Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Destinations include Alicante, Malaga, Faro, Nice, Amsterdam, Brussels and Milan.

Earlier this month Flybe announced new flights from Gatwick to Aberdeen operating three times daily. Flights begin on 30 March with fares from £24.99 one way including taxes and charges. Last year British Airways announced it was axing its Gatwick to Aberdeen service.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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