Our Faculty of Aviation and Aeronautical Science Entered into Sectoral Cooperation with Turkish Airlines

The “theoretical training and flight training contract” we signed with the THY will offer our Undergraduate Professional Flight Program students employment opportunities at Turkish Airlines.

Our Faculty of Aviation and Aeronautical Science and the Turkish Airlines have signed a cooperative agreement for theoretical and flight training.  The contract gives our Undergraduate Professional Flight Program students the opportunity to be recruited as co-pilots at the Turkish Airlines, so long as they satisfy the eligibility requirements, which include the successful completion of the THY’s testing, application and assessment process during theoretical and flight training, holding a DGCA-approved ATP(A) license, and passing the health screening test conducted by the Turkish Airlines.

The OzU-THY cooperation will allow our students to find employment while still pursuing their undergraduate studies, and give them the opportunity to take their seat in the cockpit right after graduation.

Our Rector Prof Dr. Esra Gencturk stated that the cooperation directly overlaps with our sector-integrated education philosophy and our goal to prepare highly-qualified pilots for the aviation industry. Prof Dr. Esra Gencturk also noted that the main objective of our Faculty and Undergraduate Professional Flight Program, which have gained recognition and become preferred choices in a very short span of time in Turkey, is to meet the current need for pilots in the sector, and prepare pilots who have internalized the aviation culture through its dynamic and innovative educational approach.  “Among 39 Undergraduate Professional Flight students we graduated in 2016 and 2017, 32 of them have already been recruited in the aviation industry” said Prof. Dr. Gençtürk. “This year, the total number of our graduates employed as pilots by the Turkish Airlines has increased to 12.”

Mr. Bilal Ekşi, Deputy Chairman and CEO at the Turkish Airlines, highlighted the importance of the university-sector collaborations.  “Knowing that one of the leading academic institutions in Turkey is by our side to contribute to the THY’s continuous rise in the sector will surely strengthen the new steps we will take” said Mr. Ekşi. “Today, here we are signing an important agreement towards the acquisition of the necessary human resource that will bring us closer to achieve our  goal of making the Turkish Airlines the world’s best airline. I am fully confident that, in cooperation with Özyeğin University, we will prepare pilots who will make significant contributions to the rise of Turkey and the Turkish Airlines.”