Man becomes first person living with HIV to become commercial pilot in Europe

‘I feel incredibly proud and privileged to be in this position,’ pilot James Bushe says

James Bushe, the first HIV-positive person to train as a commercial air pilot in Europe (Loganair/PA Wire)

James Bushe is said to have become the first HIV-positive person to acquire a commercial pilot's licence and fly a commercial plane in Europe.

In 2017, it was reported that Bushe, then-referred to under the pseudonym “Anthony”, had been unable to become a commercial pilot due to his HIV status.

At the time, he was prevented from accepting a place on an easyJet pilot training scheme due to the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) interpretation of rules laid out by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The CAA’s interpretation of the regulation previously dictated that qualified pilots who contracted HIV could continue to fly, but applicants living with HIV could not obtain the medical certificate needed to train to become a pilot.

On Saturday 11 January, following the CAA’s overturning of the policy, Bushe flew a commercial flight from Glasgow to Stornoway, having become a pilot for Scottish airline Loganair.

James Bushe, the first HIV-positive person to train as a commercial air pilot in Europe (Loganair/PA Wire)

The pilot said he hopes to inspire other individuals living with HIV who have experienced discrimination due to their diagnosis.

“I just wanted to be able to deliver a message to anyone else living with HIV who has been discriminated against, who faces barriers to employment or who wants to be a pilot, to say to them that it absolutely is possible,” Bushe, who was diagnosed with HIV in 2014, told BuzzFeed News.

The 31-year-old explained that he was inspired to go public about his diagnosis in September 2019, having tweeted about his story from the handle @PilotAnthony, after former professional rugby player Gareth Thomas opened up about being HIV-positive.

“It was the week that the Gareth Thomas story was released,” the pilot said. “I just thought, anyone who has the platform to challenge the stigma that exists around people with HIV and has the support around them to do it, should do it.

“I’ve got incredibly supportive friends and family. And if one person benefits from me doing this... it’s the right thing to do.”

The CAA released a statement regarding the completion of Bushe’s pilot training, praising him for raising awareness “of the challenges faced by aspiring pilots living with HIV”.

“For a number of years we have promoted changes at an international level to the current rules affecting pilots with certain medical conditions, including HIV,” said Dr Ewan Hutchison, head of medical assessment at the CAA.

Dr Hutchison said the organisation is “providing medical expertise” to support the EASA “with the commissioning of a review of recent research relating to HIV”.

“We expect that this may result in the removal of some restrictions related to the medical certificates of commercial pilots who are living with HIV,” he added.

Nathan Sparling CEO of HIV Scotland, emphasised the impact Bushe has had in encouraging aspiring pilots living with HIV not to give up on their ambitions.

“It’s really impressive that someone has not taken no for an answer,” Sparling stated.

“And during the campaign we had people come to us and say, ‘I wanted to train as a pilot too but I just assumed that rules would never change.’

“James did everything he could to get the rules changed. And not only that, he’s gone on and become a commercial pilot.”

Bushe previously described his inability to become a commercial pilot as a “catch-22”, saying that being unable to accept easyJet’s pilot training scheme “destroyed a boyhood dream”.