About BALPA
Whether you fly long-haul around the world, take an internal UK flight, travel once a year on holiday or flit to Europe on business, if you use a British airline it is likely that BALPA members will be taking you safely to your destination.
BALPA represents well over 75% of all the pilots, flight engineers and helicopter aircrew based in the UK - as well as many working overseas. We have a membership of over 9,000 professional flight crew, working in companies large and small. BALPA is among the world's largest flight crew associations - second in size only to the US Air Line Pilots' Association.
Our mission is to be the most effective, representative and professional association of flight crew.
We have a permanent staff of over 40 people, dealing with all industrial and flight safety matters that concern our profession. These specialist staff help to co-ordinate and support the work of well over 200 working pilots and flight engineers who represent our Association within and across the various companies. It is the vast experience, and intimate working knowledge, of our professional aircrew representatives that guides and shapes the policies and direction of our Association. We are in continuous dialogue with government agencies and departments on the twin issues of safety and security.
BALPA works with the Civil Aviation Authority, the Department for Transport, the Department of Trade and Industry and many other bodies where the voice of 'the pilot' is needed. Another important part of our role is negotiating with airlines on all aspects of the 'terms and conditions' for flight crew.
Much of our representative work is done outside the UK. BALPA was one of the founder members of IFALPA, the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations, which co-ordinates the views and opinions of well over 100,000 flight crew around the globe. We continue to take a leading role in this organisation, particularly in formulating policy at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICOA) in Montreal.
In Europe, BALPA was a founding member of ECA, the European Cockpit Association. Through this body, and in concert with other European flight crew organisations, we present our members' views to the European Union.
Find out more by visiting our website at www.balpa.org