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For women, the viability and attractiveness of a career as a pilot is significantly affected by the ability to balance working as a pilot with maternity and childcare commitments.

At its most fundamental level lies the issue of maternity pay. The financial support available to a woman following the birth of her child has a major influence on the decisions that she will make, the consequences of which will be present for an entire career.

The current levels of maternity pay available are grossly inadequate, causing significant hardship to women seeking to balance their careers with their family lives.

That’s why BALPA launched Baby on Board in 2019

Our c ampaign called on all airlines to provide maternity packages of 26 full weeks of pay followed by half pay for the remainder of their statutory maternity leave, based on average pay over the previous 12 months.

Since Baby on Board launched, many companies have offered their female pilots a slightly enhanced maternity package. However, these all fall short of BALPA’s call for fair and workable maternity pay levels and there are still airlines offering just statutory pay.

As the UK’s pilot union representing 85% of pilots across the UK, BALPA is continuing to negotiate for fairer maternity packages for female pilots across all companies: join now to help enhance maternity pay in your company.

More Campaigns.

Fighting pilot fatigue

Research has long shown that fatigue impairs alertness, slows reaction times and weakens decision making, so for pilots, managing fatigue risk is critical to flight safety.

Reduced Crew Operations: #SafetyStartsWith2

Safety Starts With 2 BALPA pilots believe the safety of every airline flight always starts with at least two well trained, qualified and rested pilots on the flight deck. Removing pilots from the flight deck is a gamble with safety. That is why BALPA is joining pilots from around the globe to engage in a […]

Environment and Sustainability

BALPA wants to see a thriving future for the aviation sector in the UK, one that provides jobs for our members and mobility for our population. Yet we are in the midst of a climate crisis and have a moral and legal obligation to ensure our future is a sustainable one.

Maternity Pay for Female Pilots

For women, the viability and attractiveness of a career as a pilot is significantly affected by the ability to balance working as a pilot with maternity and childcare commitments. At its most fundamental level lies the issue of maternity pay. The financial support available to a woman following the birth of her child has a […]

Pilot Pensions

Pilots feel the current pension system – including the existing tax relief framework – works. They want stability and fear any changes could undermine the system and put people off saving for their future.

Protecting Pilot Mental Health

In the awake of the Germanwings tragedy there has been huge media interest in the topic of pilot health. It’s a topic BALPA takes seriously and is working to address. BALPA understands the need to ensure those suffering mental health issues, who are in safety critical jobs, must be identified, given support and monitored to ensure they do not pose a safety risk.

nextGen – Aspiring & Trainee Pilots

For many, becoming a pilot is a dream harboured from a young age. The British Airline Pilots’ Association’s aim is to ensure it remains a great profession and one that anyone can aspire to and achieve. But becoming a pilot takes real determination and there are some huge challenges that aspiring pilots need to be aware of. BALPA has set up the nextGen programme to help protect the profession by reaching down to these new entrants and giving them a voice.