Airline training company L3Harris Commercial Aviation has written to several of its cadets undergoing Multicrew Pilot License (MPL) training pipelines, explaining that their training must be transferred to an Airline Transport License (ATPL) course if they wish to continue training with the company.
This is understood to be as a result of partner airlines withdrawing conditional offers of employment for MPL cadets on the L3Harris program. MPL courses are usually delivered to fulfil specific requirements in partner airlines, and while they represent a rapid training program designed to deliver students to airline cockpits more rapidly, they do not confer a transferable license unless additional training is undertaken.
L3Harris issued a letter, under condition of confidentiality, explaining to the cadets affected that they would either be required to cease training or transfer to the ATPL course. Writing the letter, director of Commercial and Customer Experience at L3Harris Commercial Aviation Gary Cross, explained that no refund would be offered for training already undertaken. Furthermore, cadets wishing to transfer to the ATPL course would be expected to pay a further £64,000, bringing their total cost of training to £173,095.83.
In the letter, Cross explained that the additional cost was as a result of the training being non-transferable to other qualifications, and being subject to case-by-case approval from the CAA.