Former Scotland rugby star completes remarkable career switch to airline pilot

Thursday, 23 July 2026 at 19:17

bySteven Smith

Former Scotland international Stuart McInally has officially begun a new chapter in his career after completing his commercial pilot training and joining Jet2.

The former hooker, who won 49 caps for Scotland and captained his country during his international career, retired from professional rugby in 2024 to pursue a lifelong ambition of becoming an airline pilot.

This week, ACS Flight Training confirmed McInally had successfully completed his Boeing 737-800 type rating and is now working with Jet2.

Sharing the news, the training provider wrote:

"Former Scotland rugby player, Stuart McInally, completed training with us and is now working with Jet2.com."

McInally also reflected on reaching a milestone he had dreamed about for years.

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"Over the last few months I've had my head down working towards the Boeing 737-800 Type Rating with Jet2.com and Jet2holidays."

"Yesterday, down in Newquay, I passed my base training and with that accomplished a lifelong dream of flying a jet. Incredible experience and hard to put into words how special it was."

The 34-year-old explained that while much of the training takes place in advanced flight simulators, the final stage involved real take-offs and landings before being cleared to carry passengers.

He added:

"Massive thank you to all my trainers and examiners over the last few months. Next up, line training. Yep, more training. But this time with a plane full of excited holidaymakers in the back. Bring it on!"

McInally enjoyed a distinguished rugby career with Edinburgh and Scotland, featuring at two Rugby World Cups and captaining the national side before retiring to focus on aviation.

Now, instead of leading Scotland onto the pitch, he'll soon be leading holiday flights into the skies for Jet2.

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Ready to test your knowledge? Let’s see if you’ve still got it. Good luck!