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Purdue pilots accepting employment from PSA will receive a $16,520 signing bonus, the university and the airline said in a joint statement this week.
PSA Airlines said it was among the first regional carriers to launch a cadet program to help move students from the classroom to flight schools to the cockpit.
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PSA is a regional airline with a pathway for pilots to American Airlines, the airline said.
“The airline industry provides incredibly well-paying careers for individuals that are willing to take advantage of this opportunity” Scott Niswonger, chairman of Purdue Aviation, said in the statement. “The timing for this partnership is particularly good, given the challenging environment to find qualified pilots.”
“PSA is delighted to partner with Purdue Aviation” Christine Wampach, PSA director of recruiting-flight operations, also said. “The quality of students and training is exactly what we are looking for to supply well-trained pilots that can meet the high standards of PSA Airlines.”
The PSA Airlines and Purdue Aviation relationship is an accelerated program over one year. Classes and flight training will be conducted by Purdue Aviation at the Purdue University Airport.
Dayton-based PSA has about 3,000 employees nationwide operating nearly 700 daily flights to nearly 90 destinations. PSA operates 35 Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft, 27 Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft and 54 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft. The airline expects to add additional aircraft bringing its fleet count to 150.
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