Aegean Airlines Pilot Interview Prep: Requirements, Sim, Questions (2026 Guide)

Last updated: 18 October 2026

Aegean Airlines recruits for itself and for Olympic Air, a member of the Aegean group, and it takes pilots without a type rating. At the last check, on 18 October 2026, Aegean’s own list of pilot vacancies showed two calls: non-type-rated First Officers on the A320 and the ATR 42/72, with a deadline of 31 December 2026 in job boards’ copies, and type-rated A320 Captains, open until 31 December 2026. We could not open the First Officer call itself; as job boards copy it, its terms are short: an EASA CPL(A) with ATPL theory, or an ATPL(A); a valid multi-engine instrument rating; 70 hours as pilot in command; certificates for MCC and Advanced UPRT; ICAO English Level 4; an EASA Class 1; and the unrestricted right to live and work in the EU. We found no published selection stages, so this guide sets out what the calls ask for and what preparation providers report, then prepares you for the parts most airline assessments share: aptitude tests, a competency interview, technical questions and a simulator check.

Note for low-hour pilots: 70 hours in command, with no total-time figure in the copies we found, is within reach of a pilot who has just finished training, once both certificates are in place. Aegean trains the rating, on the A320 or the ATR, through its own approved training organization; the material we found did not say who pays for it or whether it is bonded, so ask before you commit.

At the last check, on 18 October 2026, Aegean’s careers portal (jobs.aegeanair.com) listed two pilot calls: non-type-rated First Officers on the A320 and the ATR 42/72, whose own page we could not open (job boards’ copies give a deadline of 31 December 2026), and type-rated A320 Captains, open until 31 December 2026. Its calls for type-rated A320 First Officers and non-type-rated A320 Captains, with a deadline of 30 September 2026, were no longer available. Check the airline pilot jobs board for the current position.

About Aegean

Aegean flies the A320 family, ceo and neo, the A321neo included, and Olympic Air flies ATR 42 and ATR 72 turboprops on regional routes. Aegean’s careers portal recruits for both airlines, and the non-type-rated call covers both fleets. The A319, A320 and A321, ceo and neo, share one type rating, with differences training between the models, while the ATR is a type of its own (the Library explains class and type ratings). The 2026 calls we found give Athens International Airport as the place of work; our jobs board also lists Thessaloniki, Heraklion and Larnaca, in Cyprus, among Aegean’s bases, and we could not confirm which base a new First Officer is posted to, or how Aegean decides which fleet a non-rated First Officer joins.

Aegean trains its pilots through its own approved training organization (ATO), approved by Greece’s civil aviation authority. Its page, which search results on 18 October 2026 showed as about four years old, lists type rating courses on the A320 and the ATR 42/72 and says the instructors are Aegean and Olympic Air pilots. The flight training center Aegean runs with CAE at Athens was announced in March 2023 with four full flight simulators: two A320neos, a 737NG and an ATR 72-600 (CAE). For people with no license, Greek and Cypriot citizens have Aegean’s Pilot Scholarship Program: training toward a commercial pilot license at Global Aviation in Athens or Egnatia Aviation in Kavala, and toward a First Officer seat at Aegean or Olympic Air (AFM, November 2025), with financial support that covers the greater part of the training cost (Aegean’s announcement of June 2026, in press reports). More than 280 cadets have joined it since 2018, and 150 have finished their training and fly for the two airlines (the same reports).

Which call fits you

Every call we read also asks for ICAO English Level 4 or above, an EASA Class 1 and the unrestricted right to live and work in the EU. We could not confirm whether Greek is needed: the Captain call on Aegean’s portal names English only, and a summary of the non-type-rated call in September 2026 made Greek an asset, but an older call relayed by a job board asked for fluent spoken and written Greek, so ask Aegean which applies to you.

The non-type-rated call’s figures match the prerequisites Aegean’s ATO lists for its type rating course: 70 hours as pilot in command of airplanes, a valid multi-engine instrument rating, ATPL theory or an ATPL, and MCC. Advanced UPRT belongs to that first step too: in Europe, MCC comes before a first type rating on a multi-pilot airplane, or is combined with it, and the Advanced UPRT course has been required before it since 20 December 2019 (the Library explains multi-crew cooperation courses and upset prevention and recovery). Count your hours the way the call does, as pilot in command of airplanes, and have both certificates and your instrument rating’s validity ready to show (the Library’s guide to the pilot CV and application covers the flight hours table).

What sets Aegean apart for a pilot

• A door at 70 hours. The non-type-rated call sets 70 hours in command and, in the copies we found, no total-time figure.
• Two fleets in one call. The same call recruits non-rated First Officers for the A320 family and for Olympic Air’s ATR 42/72.
• Its own type rating school. Aegean trains the rating through its own ATO, whose instructors are Aegean and Olympic Air pilots.
• Rated and non-rated, at both ranks. In 2026 Aegean published calls for type-rated and non-type-rated First Officers, and for type-rated and non-type-rated Captains; at the last check the non-rated First Officer and type-rated Captain calls were open.
• The EU, not a visa. The calls we read ask for the unrestricted right to live and work in the EU.
• Calls with closing dates. Aegean recruits in calls with a set deadline: its type-rated First Officer and non-type-rated Captain calls closed on 30 September 2026, and its type-rated Captain call runs until 31 December 2026, so have your documents ready before a call opens.

The selection stages

We found no published selection stages for Aegean’s First Officer and Captain calls, so we do not list any as Aegean’s. A preparation provider describes an assessment over two days: the COMPASS aptitude tests; tests of reasoning, English, mathematics and physics; a technical test; a personality questionnaire; a group exercise; an interview; and a simulator assessment (Pilot Assessments, as search results showed its page on 18 October 2026). An older account puts the same parts over three days, with 100 ATPL theory questions in the COMPASS stage (Pilot Jobs Network, with information from 2023). Treat both as reports, not as Aegean’s format: the table gives what to prepare for each part until your invitation tells you otherwise.

For the Pilot Scholarship Program, Aegean’s announcement of its 2023 cycle described a personal interview, the COMPASS pilot aptitude test and a medical evaluation, with the final choice made by a committee of Aegean and its partner schools (press reports and a partner school, late 2022); we could not confirm the stages of the 2027 intake.

The aptitude tests

COMPASS is a computer-based pilot aptitude test, which Aegean named for its scholarship selection; the material we found does not say which version licensed pilots sit, although the older account above puts ATPL theory questions in it. Airline aptitude batteries typically combine timed numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning with spatial orientation and instrument comprehension, memory and attention tasks and a multitasking test, and some add psychomotor coordination tests, usually with a personality questionnaire (the Library covers pilot aptitude tests). Practice the skills rather than one product: daily mental arithmetic without a calculator, reading instruments against the clock and short multitasking sessions over a few weeks. A personality questionnaire has no right answers to learn, so answer it quickly and honestly.

The simulator check

Aegean publishes no simulator profile, device or duration. Preparation providers report a simulator assessment, and the training center Aegean runs with CAE at Athens was announced with A320neo and ATR 72-600 full flight simulators, but we could not confirm which device, or which type, candidates fly. Prepare for the shape most airline simulator assessments share: in the Library’s description of the airline simulator assessment, 30 to 60 minutes in a full flight simulator or a fixed-base device, flown as one of a two-pilot crew, with a briefing on the numbers to fly, then upper air work, a hold, an ILS to minimums with a missed approach and sometimes an engine failure.

What to practice

• The briefing. The pitch attitudes and thrust settings given there are the numbers to fly, so write them down, and ask about anything unclear before you start.
• Raw data. Practice level-offs, steep turns and hand-flown ILS approaches without the flight director, with the scan centered on the attitude indicator (see instrument scan technique).
• Airbus handling, if the device is an A320. In normal law the aircraft trims itself, and in turns up to 33° of bank it needs no back pressure and holds its bank with the stick released; beyond 33° it rolls back toward 33° if released, so a steep turn needs both lateral and aft pressure (see A320 flight control laws and protections).
• Both roles. Where the check is flown as a crew, the pilot monitoring is assessed too: standard callouts, checklists and calling deviations (see crew coordination, briefings and callouts).
• The engine failure after V1. Directional control with rudder, rotation at VR and not before, positive climb and gear up, then identification and confirmation with the other pilot before anything is shut down (see engine failure and engine fire).

In the Library’s description, for low-hour pilots the session is largely a test of trainability, of how quickly an unfamiliar aircraft’s numbers are applied, and a non-rated applicant at 70 hours is exactly that case. Errors are expected; what counts is whether they are noticed, said aloud and corrected.

The interview and group exercise

Aegean does not describe its interview format; a preparation provider reports an interview usually led by HR and an experienced company pilot (read on 18 October 2026). Expect competency questions, which ask for a real past event rather than an opinion: a mistake you made, a disagreement with a Captain, a time you saw something unsafe, a decision on incomplete information. Answer with the STAR structure (situation, task, action, result), keep each story short and true, and show ownership rather than blame. Prepare eight to ten stories that cover the common themes, and raise anything in your record yourself, such as a failed check: an interviewer who finds it later will assume it was hidden. The Library sets out the method in competency-based pilot interviews.

What Aegean says it looks for

Aegean names the qualities it wants, and they make a good map for your stories. For type-rated pilots, its careers portal asks for high standards of flying skills, professionalism, integrity and customer focus, and for team players who can demonstrate safety, situational awareness and decisive thinking; for non-type-rated pilots, leadership, great communication skills and the ability to conduct a safe and efficient flight, with high motivation and excellent piloting skills (read on 18 October 2026). Its type-rated A320 Captain call, read on the portal on 18 October 2026, and its type-rated A320 First Officer call, as a job board copied it in 2026, add four competencies: communicating openly, honestly and respectfully with the team, teamwork and collaboration, problem solving and initiative under stress, and structured, analytical thinking. Have at least one true story for each.

Questions particular to Aegean

• Why Aegean? Three specific reasons that are true for both sides. Not led by pay, and never a criticism of your present employer.
• The A320 or the ATR? The non-type-rated call covers both, so know which you would prefer and why, and be ready to fly either.
• Why should we train you? For a non-rated applicant: evidence that you learn a new type quickly, and a plan to stay and use the rating.
• Your training record. Have your license, your instrument rating’s validity and your MCC and Advanced UPRT certificates to hand: each is a condition of the call.
• Your English. Level 4 is the minimum, so your English is on show in every answer. If you speak Greek, say so, since we could not confirm whether it is needed.
• Athens. The calls name Athens International Airport, so have a realistic plan for living near it and reporting on time.

Prepare two or three questions of your own about training, the type rating course or support for new First Officers, not about leave or pay.

The group exercise

Preparation providers report one. A group exercise puts several candidates around a planning or prioritization task against the clock, while assessors watch how each one contributes, listens and helps the group reach a decision, not who reaches the answer. Dominating the discussion and staying silent both leave them without evidence. Make sure everyone understands the task, make your point once with a reason, build on other people’s ideas, bring a quieter member in, keep an eye on the time, and support the decision once it is made.

Technical questions

A technical interview generally covers three things: the type you fly or will fly, ATPL theory asked as open questions, and operational scenarios you talk through. Start from the fleet you would join, the A320 family or the ATR. A non-rated applicant at 70 hours should make ATPL theory the core of the preparation, all the more since providers report a technical test and, in the older account, ATPL questions in the aptitude stage. If you do not know an answer, say so, then explain what you do know and where you would find the rest: panels generally score honesty first, then reasoning, then raw knowledge.

A320 questions to practice

1. Normal, alternate and direct law: what takes you from one to the next, and which protections do you lose at each step? (see A320 flight control laws and protections)
2. What is alpha floor, and when is it not available? (see fly-by-wire and flight envelope protection)
3. The A320 family shares one type rating: what changes for the crew between the ceo and the neo, and between the A320 and the A321? (see the A320ceo to neo course and its module comparing the A319, A320 and A321)

ATR questions to practice

1. Why is the propeller of a failed engine feathered, and what does a windmilling propeller in fine pitch do to drag and control? (see propellers and propeller control)
2. The ATR protects its wings with pneumatic de-icing boots: why can supercooled large droplets defeat them, and what should a crew do when ice forms behind the boots or on the side windows? (see de-icing boots and fluid ice protection and airframe icing)

ATPL topics worth refreshing

1. Upset prevention and recovery: a nose-high and a nose-low upset, and what “push to unload” means, the subject of the Advanced UPRT course the call asks for (see upset prevention and recovery)
2. V1, VR and V2, and what V1 commits you to (see takeoff speeds)
3. The go-around: thrust, attitude, flap and gear, and who may call it (see go-around and missed approach)
4. Decode a METAR and TAF (drill it with our ATPL meteorology questions)
5. Airspace classes and the rules of the air (see our ATPL air law questions)

What v1prep has for Aegean’s fleet

Where Aegean candidates go wrong

1. A missing certificate. MCC and Advanced UPRT are both conditions of the non-type-rated call; a CPL holder without either does not meet it.
2. Counting total time. The 70 hours are as pilot in command of airplanes, not total time.
3. A lapsed instrument rating. The call asks for a valid multi-engine instrument rating, so check its date before you apply.
4. No unrestricted right to live and work in the EU. It is a published condition, so a pilot who would need a permit does not meet it as written.
5. Waiting for the deadline. Aegean’s calls close on set dates: two of its 2026 calls closed on 30 September, and the two open at the last check run until 31 December 2026 (the First Officer call’s date as job boards copy it).
6. Arriving cold at the aptitude tests. The older account puts them on the first day, before the simulator, so a weak result can end the assessment early.
7. A silent simulator session. Accurate flying without briefing, calling and monitoring is weak crew performance.
8. Stories and records that do not match. Competency answers that do not survive a follow-up question, or figures that differ from your logbook. Across the industry, the commonest reason an offer is withdrawn is a gap between what a candidate declared and what the records show.

From application to a course date

We found no published timings for Aegean’s selection. What is known:

Plan for a range, not a date. If the non-type-rated call fits you, apply well before 31 December 2026, the deadline in job boards’ copies, keep your instrument rating valid while you wait, and keep your theory sharp.

Aegean pilot recruitment: common questions

The hours, license, English and medical rules are on our Aegean Airlines pilot requirements page; the questions below are about the selection itself.

What is the Aegean pilot selection process?

Aegean publishes no selection stages for its First Officer and Captain calls. A preparation provider describes an assessment over two days, with the COMPASS aptitude tests, a technical test, a personality questionnaire, a group exercise, an interview and a simulator assessment (Pilot Assessments, read on 18 October 2026). Prepare for each part, and for the medical: every call we read asks for an EASA Class 1.

Does Aegean take pilots without a type rating?

Yes. Its non-type-rated First Officer call, for the A320 and the ATR 42/72, asks for 70 hours as pilot in command, an EASA CPL with ATPL theory or an ATPL, a valid multi-engine instrument rating, and MCC and Advanced UPRT certificates, as job boards copy it; at the last check, on 18 October 2026, the call was on Aegean’s list of pilot vacancies, and job boards’ copies gave a deadline of 31 December 2026. Aegean trains the rating through its own training organization, and we could not confirm who pays for it or whether it is bonded.

What is the Aegean simulator check like?

Aegean publishes no profile or device, and its training center at Athens was announced with both A320neo and ATR 72-600 simulators, so we could not confirm which one candidates fly. Prepare for the usual shape: a briefing on the numbers to fly, upper air work, a hold, an ILS to minimums with a missed approach and sometimes an engine failure, flown as one of a two-pilot crew, with raw-data flying and standard callouts in both roles.

What does the Aegean interview ask?

Expect competency questions about real past events, answered in the STAR structure, and questions particular to Aegean: why Aegean, the A320 or the ATR, why it should train you, and your MCC and UPRT training. Aegean names what it looks for, from teamwork, safety, situational awareness and decisive thinking to, for non-rated pilots, leadership, communication and safe and efficient flying. Your English, at Level 4 or above, is on show in every answer.

How are Aegean’s scholarship cadets selected?

For its 2023 cycle, Aegean described a personal interview, the COMPASS pilot aptitude test and a medical evaluation, with the final choice made by a committee of Aegean and its partner schools; we could not confirm the stages of the 2027 intake. That intake, of up to 40 places for Greek and Cypriot citizens born after 1 January 1998, closed for applications on 16 October 2026, with training from 11 January 2027.