Requirements to Become a Pilot

While this is key to career fulfilment on a personal level, you’ll need to balance it with the competencies that today’s airlines are looking for. Motivation and ambition, self-discipline, technical aptitude, pressure tolerance, maturity for your age, and spatial awareness, all factor as critical attributes of the pilot profile.

Completed secondary education (high school), ideally achieving a pass in English, Mathematics and Physics. Certain airline-sponsored or partnered programmes may have additional educational requirements.

Before training begins, you’ll need to pass an examination to test your hearing, eyesight, coordination, and overall health. Upon successful completion, you will obtain a valid Class 1 Medical Certificate. All pilots are required to have this certificate throughout their entire flying career. Contact your local aviation authority for more information.

You may apply from age 17 but can only begin training at 18 years of age. Depending on your programme of interest, it might be requirement to be a Citizen or Permanent Resident of the country that your training programme takes place in. Visit the individual training programme page to see the specific requirements of your programme of interest.

To join a pilot training programme, you must complete an initial assessment. This ensures that we identify individuals who are most likely to succeed in pilot training and who are suitable for a career as an airline pilot. Our process involves computer-based aptitude testing, personality questionnaires, teamwork exercises, and competency-based interviews.