Married BA pilots lift the lid on life flying together

Flying a plane together can probably lead to a close relationship between most pilots and co-pilots.

But not quite as close as British Airways pilots Hugo and Hannah Webb, who also happen to be husband and wife.

The couple, who regularly fly side by side, say sharing the cockpit is “great fun” and helps their relationship.

“It certainly helps that we can discuss and understand each other’s jobs,” said Hannah, 34. “We both appreciate the demands of the flying lifestyle.”

The couple, from Alresford, Hampshire, have two young children fly together around once every few months.

Being a short-haul pilot is “a great profession to have as a working parent”, Hannah said. “The shift patterns allow us to see our children both during the week and on the weekends. We have taken our children on a few work trips. Our son came to Milan and our daughter joined us in Lisbon for a couple of nights.”

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But 32-year-old BA captain Hugo said when he introduces his first officer over the tannoy at the start of a flight, he leaves one detail out.

“Although I introduce Hannah at the beginning of the flight, I have never mentioned she is my wife,” he said. “I suppose some customers may guess.”

The couple, who operate Airbus A320 aircraft on routes across the UK and Europe, joined BA in 2011 and married the following year.

Hugo was inspired to become a pilot after his father, Nigel, founded a charity to support a network of air ambulances across the UK, while Hannah has had a “burning desire” to go abroad since her childhood, and knew she wanted to travel for a living after saving up for three years to visit Australia as a 16-year-old.

But asked if she was hoping to marry a fellow pilot before meeting her now-husband at a flying school 12 years ago, she said: “Not at all!”