easyJet has launched a Europe-wide campaign inspired by the 80s blockbuster classic, Top Gun.
The new recruitment film aims to “tackle job stereotypes and inspire more young people to consider a career in aviation, including encouraging more girls to become pilots.”
The film is part of the airline’s ‘nextGen easyJet’ campaign, which sets out the airline’s commitment to having a positive impact on the communities it flies to.
This includes creating an inclusive and diverse workforce by continuing to drive initiatives to champion greater inclusivity in the industry, said the airline in a statement.
The new parody film titled ‘Calling all Mavericks’ sees Maverick and Goose played by seven-year-old Rei Diec and nine-year-old Oliva Joohee Ridington, supported by a cast of cabin crew, engineers and ground operations staff.
Shot at London Luton Airport, with a cast of children of easyJet staff aged between seven and 12, the film recreated some of Top Gun’s most iconic moments – including Tom Cruise’s motorbike scene, the classroom, and the infamous ‘It’s time to buzz the tower’ scene.
The launch of the campaign follows new research by easyJet which has revealed that Brits believe gender stereotypes are still plaguing Hollywood films and limiting children’s job aspirations.
By re-shooting scenes from the classic 1986 Top Gun movie, the airline says it hopes to “course-correct notions of jobs in the industry forwarded by film and TV” and encourage more young people to consider a career in aviation – particularly in roles such as pilots, engineering and operations.
Since 2015, easyJet has doubled the number of female pilots in its ranks. The airline is set to be flying near pre-pandemic levels this summer, with many newly qualified female pilots joining in recent months.
It has also recently reopened its pilot training programme for the first time since the pandemic, to bring 1000 new pilots on board over the next five years.
Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s CEO said: “easyJet has long championed greater diversity across our business and the industry, and while we have made important progress in areas like our pilot community, there is still work to do.
“Increasing diversity in all of its forms across our airline and creating an inclusive environment where people can be themselves at work is incredibly important to us and is a long-term focus for easyJet, so we will continue to ensure we lead the industry on this issue.”
Rei Diec aged seven, who played the leading role of Maverick, said: “I’ve always loved flying and getting to be a pilot for a day was the best day ever and a dream come true!”
The recruitment campaign has been released ahead of Top Gun 2 coming to cinemas in May, which features a female pilot for the first time.
To discover more about the opportunities currently available with easyJet including in Engineering. Cabin Crew and more, visit careers.easyJet.com.
For more information on becoming a pilot with easyJet visit becomeapilot.easyJet.com.
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