Skyborne is marking the graduation of 69 UK CAA Integrated and Modular ATPL trainees, with many having already secured pilot positions with leading airlines.

The new graduates will join carriers such as Ryanair, TUI, Jet2 and Loganair, with 22 trainees joining easyJet alone, prompting the company's chief operating officer to attend the graduation ceremony in Gloucestershire as a guest of honour.

Lee Woodward, Chief Executive Officer of Skyborne, says: "I am immensely proud of our graduates, with a significant proportion already embarking on what I know from experience is the most rewarding job in the world. Our industry should celebrate the talent of these young people who have met the demands of the Skyborne ATPL programme and demonstrated their determination and character."

Captain David Morgan, Chief Operating Officer of easyJet, adds: "We now have a total of 17 Skyborne graduates flying for easyJet and a further 10 will be joining us in the coming months. I continue to be impressed by their skills and readiness to enter the industry and we look forward to welcoming them to easyJet to embark on this truly rewarding career."

The graduation ceremony was also an opportunity to recognise Skyborne trainees who have excelled, with William Smith receiving the prize for Best Ground School Results, achieving an average score of 96.7%. Meanwhile, Thomas Perks and Bradley Gibbs jointly collected Integrated Trainee of the Year.

Skyborne's CFO Paul Cooper was recognised with the Kleynhans Award for Lifetime Achievement and there were also two recipients of the Skyborne Spirit Award. Integrated ATPL trainee Norbi Chrapowicki was praised for his strong engagement, resilience and positivity throughout the programme while judges noted Modular trainee Katherine Miller consistently demonstrated a positive, can-do approach to training.

Katherine Miller, graduate of Skyborne said: "It's an honour to receive this award from my instructors and peers, who have played an important role in making my training such a rewarding experience. I chose Skyborne because of the academy's world-class facilities and established airline relationships and I can confidently say I've had the best possible start to my pilot career."