FPU opens for applications to pilot and air traffic controller fund

A fund of DKK 20 millions for certificate renewal will help unemployed pilots and air traffic controllers in Denmark getting closer to a new job. The application site is now open, and FPU encourages pilots and air traffic controllers who lost their jobs during the corona crisis to find information about the application process on the newly created website.

The fund is administered by FPU, and information on application requirements and documentation can be found on a newly created website:

Read info and apply

Pilots and air traffic controllers in Denmark now have the opportunity to be reimbursed for expenses of up to DKK 15,000 for certificate renewal, medical and language proficiency check.

On this website you will also be able to find the application portal itself.

The 20 million is part of a political aid package, and the amount will help pilots and air traffic controllers get closer to a job when aviation picks up again.

“We are extremely happy that the many pilots who have lost their jobs are finally getting help. The aviation industry has been hit extremely hard by the corona crisis, and we would like to have pilots ready to fly as soon as aviation gets going again. It is extremely important for both the companies and the pilots, and it also means that we can maintain jobs with decent working conditions in Denmark,” says Thilde Waast, president of FPU.

Commercial pilots, graduates and air traffic controllers can apply

Commercial pilots and air traffic controllers who live up to the requirements that have been decided politically can apply. You must have lost your pilot or air traffic controller job after 11 March 2020, and you must either be resident in Denmark or have had your most recent employment with a company with a Danish CVR number.

Newly trained pilots will also have the opportunity to apply.

FPU has been appointed to administer the fund because according to the Ministry of Employment this ensures that there is a great deal of knowledge and understanding of the needs of pilots and the industry.

“We have had a good collaboration with the authorities to get the fund implemented within the framework that the politicians had set. FPU has contributed with technical expertise, and we have always had in mind how we can help pilots and air traffic controllers as close to a job as possible,” Thilde Waast says.

“In order to optimize the fund, FPU has, among other things, ensured that refresher training is also covered, and that pilots can renew an older certificate if it can bring them closer to the job market.”

Ready to receive applications

The fund has been created after FPU approached politicians, and after FPU as part of the aviation reboot team recommended that unemployed pilots were helped by giving them support for their annual certificate renewal.

In November, the government, together with Venstre, Radikale Venstre, SF, Enhedslisten, de Konservative og Alternativet, agreed on an aid package, which will now help pilots and air traffic controllers.

The grant is awarded to the individual applicant on the basis of objective criteria, and FPU treats all applicants equally, regardless of whether they are a member of FPU, non-organized or a member of another trade union.

“We are ready to guide the applicants, and we look forward to helping them. On our newly created website, everyone can read much more about requirements and documentation. FPU has been working for a long time to obtain support for the aviation industry which has received very little help during this crisis. That is why we are extremely happy that there is now help coming to one of the professions that has been hit the hardest by the corona crisis,” Thilde Waast says.

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