United Airlines plans to diversify its pool of pilots

United Airlines said on Tuesday that it will train 5,000 new pilots this decade, with half of those positions earmarked for women or people of colour.

United Airlines says it will train 5,000 pilots this decade, including taking on applicants with no flying experience, and plans for half of them to be women or people of colour. United will borrow an approach used elsewhere, notably at Germany’s Lufthansa, by taking people at the beginning of their flying careers and training them at its own academy, which it bought last year. United will continue to draw pilots from traditional sources such as the military, however. Airline officials said they will begin accepting applicants for United’s flight academy on Tuesday.