200 wannabe pilots are to be give the chance to fly with British Airways without having to spend thousands on training.

The Heathrow based airline has announced a £21 million investment into its Speedbird Academy.

This means up to 200 prospective pilots will see the £100,000 cost of training paid by BA.

The airline is working with community groups to help encourage applicants from people who may have previously been put off by the cost.

The Academy is already training 100 pilots who managed to beat off competition from more than 20,000 candidates.

It takes two years to complete training and become a qualified First Officer with the airline.

British Airways currently employs around 4,000 pilots.