A Sussex firm has won a £30 million contract to train easyJet pilots.

The seven-year deal for Burgess Hill training and technologies firm CAE, in Innovation Drive, will see airline recruits coming to the town for up to five weeks at a time.

Managing director Bob Ison said: "It's great news for the area and for the company. The process of trying to win the contract has been going on for six to seven months.

"Now we are busy preparing for the first trainees, who will arrive on October 1."

The training is needed because Easyjet is changing its fleet of aircraft to Airbus A320s.

Thursday June 10, 2004