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The Life of the Aviate Program: Six years and counting!

October 3, 2025

Our United Aviate program turns six on October 3, and we’ve Taylor-made six years of accomplishments and milestones. We’re proudly living in our Aviate era as we continue to reach and engage with current and prospective Aviate participants, active United pilots who volunteer as Coaches and fans worldwide.

Aviate program fast facts:

  • Established in 2019, Aviate is United’s pilot development program, offering the most secure path to a United flight deck.
  • The program includes a network of 30+ participating universities, flight schools, Part 135 operators and United Express (UAX) carriers.
  • Pilots affiliated with our Aviate network are eligible to apply to the program when they achieve their Commercial Pilot Certificate with Instrument Rating and, upon acceptance, receive a conditional job offer as a United First Officer.
  • United Aviate Academy(UAA) and the Aviate program are two separate entities. UAA is United’s wholly owned flight school located in Goodyear, Arizona (fun fact: their application window is now open!).

A look behind the curtain:

  • The Aviate program has nearly 3,000 active participants.
  • There are 770 United pilots who volunteer as Aviate Coaches, supporting Aviate participants throughout their time in the program.
  • In 2025, 760k+ flight hours were logged by Aviate participants in our industry-leading mobile app, My Aviate.
  • Our Aviate Instagram has grown to more than 33,000 followers, where we’ve highlighted approximately 40 Aviate success stories. Check out our latest testimonials – Sean B. and Nathalie P.
  • Our participants, Aviate Coaches and subscribers attended our annual State of Aviate virtual event.
  • We’ve conducted 101 campus recruitment events across the U.S. and 11 Aviate participant orientations, as well as hosted 6 Aviate participant events and attended 7 industry conferences.

As we spread birthday cheer to another year, don’t forget to follow @unitedaviate on Instagram, check our News and Events page and subscribe to our communications for upcoming events and updates. Thank you for the continued support while we celebrate another year around the world!