Aer Lingus Pilot Requirements 2026: Hours, Licence and Hiring Process

Aer Lingus publishes two pilot routes, and when its pages were read on 25 August 2026 both were closed, as they still were in search results on 12 October 2026, with no reopening date, candidate pool or expression-of-interest facility: the Direct Entry Pilot Programme, whose 2025/26 campaign closed on 6 October 2025, and the fully sponsored Future Pilot Programme for cadets, last closed on 10 February 2025. The direct-entry criteria still on its pages ask for an EASA ATPL or frozen ATPL and an Airbus type rating (A320, A330, A340, A350 or A380), a Class 1, English at EASA ELP Level 5 or above, the permanent right to live and work in the EU or Ireland and an unrestricted worldwide passport, from age 18 with no upper limit published. Aer Lingus publishes no minimum total hours and no hours on type, yet the page that demands the rating also publishes a starting salary for non-type-rated pilots. The conversion course is provided and bonded; new pilots fly the A320 family from Dublin, and no direct-entry Captain route is published.

Is Aer Lingus hiring pilots now?

Not recruiting at the last check on 12 October 2026 — First Officer seat: Not recruiting; Captain seat: Not offered. Both pilot routes are closed; no reopening date or candidate pool is published.

Requirements, as published

The type-rating question, and what Aer Lingus pays

The Direct Entry essential criteria list an Airbus rating. The benefits FAQ on the same page publishes two starting packages, one for type-rated and one for non-type-rated pilots, and Aer Lingus does not reconcile the two. A non-type-rated ATPL or frozen-ATPL holder should assume neither exclusion nor eligibility: read the criteria when the next campaign opens, or ask Aer Lingus.

• The rest of the package. A contributory pension (21% from the employer, 11% from the employee), 35 days of annual leave including public holidays, staff travel concessions and free parking at Dublin Airport.
• The flying. “Ex Dublin” on the A320 family after the Operator Conversion Course, with a preferential bidding system and a roster of 5 days on and 3 off; typically 800 to 900 hours a year, starting on UK and European flying and moving to transatlantic; the A330 with seniority after several years.
• The bond. The conversion course is bonded for a set period on a reducing balance: leave straight after qualifying and you repay the whole cost, and the amount falls the longer you stay. Aer Lingus publishes neither the value nor the period; the details are confirmed to each successful candidate.

Entry routes

• Type-rated Direct Entry First Officer (the essential criteria list an Airbus type rating) - CLOSED as of 25 Aug 2026
• Cadet / ab-initio - Future Pilot Programme, fully sponsored, leads to MPL - CLOSED as of 25 Aug 2026

The Future Pilot Programme: who could apply last time

The cadet route is fully funded: Aer Lingus pays for the training and for accommodation and food, gives a small allowance during the course, and trains cadets to a Multi-Crew Pilot Licence. The training is bonded on the same reducing basis as the conversion course. The criteria below are the last campaign’s, which closed on 10 February 2025, and Aer Lingus has published nothing about the next intake.

• No licence, and not too much of one. Holders of a CPL, MPL or ATPL are “overqualified” and ineligible, and are pointed to Direct Entry instead; PPL holders are considered case by case.
• Schooling. The Leaving Certificate in six subjects, with O5 in English and Maths at ordinary level (or H6 at higher) and two higher-level subjects at H5 or above; or GCSE Maths and English at grade C or above with three A Levels at grades C, C and D or better; or, where the grades are not met, a Level 7 ordinary degree in any discipline or a completed relevant aviation apprenticeship.
• Age, medical and vetting. 18 by the closing date, with no upper limit published; the ability to obtain an EASA or IAA Class 1, including a colour-vision test, and to pass an Aer Lingus pre-course medical; airport security vetting with a five-year background check, and a police certificate from any country where you have lived for six months or more.
• Right to work. As for Direct Entry: the permanent right to live and work in the EU or Ireland and an unrestricted worldwide passport.

The last selection ran online assessments with a 72-hour window, then a group assessment in Dublin from 24 March to 11 April 2025, where school qualifications were checked, then the Class 1 and the pre-course medical. Aer Lingus does not name its training school.

Selection process

1. Direct Entry - Stage 1: online application form submitted by the published deadline (last campaign: 23:59 Monday 06 October 2025), including all specified documents; an acknowledgement email confirms a valid application
2. Direct Entry - Stage 2: applications thoroughly screened
3. Direct Entry - Stage 3: online assessments, with a 72-hour window to complete once the link is issued
4. Direct Entry - Stage 4: group assessment stage held in Dublin (last campaign: from 20 October 2025); candidates may be asked to retake the online assessments at the assessment centre; no flexibility on assessment dates is offered
5. Direct Entry - Stage 5: background check, company medical and intoxicant screening; two verifiable references
6. Future Pilot Programme - Stage 1: online application by the published deadline (last campaign: 10:00 GMT Monday 10 February 2025)
7. Future Pilot Programme - Stage 2: screening, then online assessments with a 72-hour completion window
8. Future Pilot Programme - Stage 3: group assessment stage in Dublin (last campaign: Monday 24 March to Friday 11 April 2025), with verification of Leaving Certificate / equivalent qualifications; online assessments may be retaken
9. Future Pilot Programme - Stage 4: EASA/IAA Class 1 medical and an Aer Lingus pre-course medical

Bases and fleet

Bases: Dublin

Fleet: Airbus A320 family (A320, A321) · Airbus A321neo LR/XLR · Airbus A330

How to prepare

A new First Officer flies the A320 family from Dublin after the Operator Conversion Course, so the A320 bank is the core of your preparation. Aer Lingus also flies the A321neo LR/XLR and the A330, and says its pilots start on UK and European flying and move onto transatlantic work, so add extended-range planning and critical fuel from the ATPL theory banks. The selection Aer Lingus publishes includes no simulator stage: online assessments with a 72-hour window once the link arrives, a group assessment in Dublin where you may be asked to retake them, then background, medical and reference checks. Practise timed reasoning tests before you apply, because the window is short and Aer Lingus offers no flexibility on the Dublin dates.

Our Aer Lingus pilot interview guide answers thirteen technical questions on the A320 family, the A321neo LR/XLR and the A330, and covers the competency questions. For the long-haul side, the Library explains ETOPS and extended diversion time operations and oceanic and North Atlantic operations. Check Aer Lingus’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.

What we could not confirm

• As of search results on 21 September 2026 the Direct Entry Pilot page still read “Application process has now closed” and no 2026 Future Pilot Programme intake had been announced (airmappr, May 2026).
• Whether a non-type-rated ATPL / frozen-ATPL holder is eligible for Direct Entry - the essential criteria list an Airbus rating, but the same page publishes an 'Airbus non-Type Rated' starting salary. Aer Lingus does not reconcile this and we could not resolve it from any Aer Lingus source. Ask Aer Lingus before you apply.
• Whether, or when, Aer Lingus will reopen Direct Entry Pilot recruitment - no date, pool or expression-of-interest facility is published, and there is no 2026 announcement in the media centre
• Whether a 2026 or 2027 Future Pilot Programme intake will run - Aer Lingus has published no statement either way; forum and aggregator posts claiming HR said there are no current plans for 2026 could not be corroborated on any Aer Lingus source and are NOT relied on here
• Any minimum total flying hours figure - none is published by Aer Lingus for any route. Any hours number seen on pilot job boards for Aer Lingus is unsourced
• Any minimum hours on the Airbus type - not published
• Any maximum/upper age limit - not published
• The monetary value of the bond and its duration for either route - stated to exist and to reduce over time, but 'the final details of this will be confirmed to each successful candidate'

These points are not published clearly by the airline. Treat them as leads, not facts, and confirm them on the careers page: careers page.

Common questions

Is Aer Lingus hiring pilots? Not at the last check, on 12 October 2026, when a search found no newer campaign. On 25 August 2026 its Direct Entry Pilots page said applications for the 2025/26 programme were closed, its Future Pilot Programme page said the programme was closed for applications, and Aer Lingus published no reopening date, candidate pool or expression-of-interest facility for either route.

How many hours do you need to fly for Aer Lingus? Aer Lingus publishes no minimum total hours and no minimum hours on type for Direct Entry. Eligibility rests on holding an EASA ATPL or frozen ATPL and, as the essential criteria are written, an Airbus type rating, so an hours figure for Aer Lingus on a job board has no Aer Lingus source.

Do you need a type rating to join Aer Lingus? The Direct Entry essential criteria list an Airbus rating on the A320, A330, A340, A350 or A380. The benefits FAQ on the same page also publishes a starting package for non-type-rated pilots, about €63,500 against about €87,500 for type-rated pilots, and Aer Lingus does not reconcile the two. Check the criteria when the next campaign opens, or ask Aer Lingus directly.

Does Aer Lingus have a cadet programme? Yes, the Future Pilot Programme: training, accommodation and food paid by Aer Lingus, with a small allowance, leading to a Multi-Crew Pilot Licence and bonded on a reducing balance. It was closed for applications at the last check; the previous campaign closed on 10 February 2025 for a September 2025 start. Holders of a CPL, MPL or ATPL are not eligible.

Can non-EU pilots apply to Aer Lingus? Only with the permanent right to live and work in the EU or Ireland and an unrestricted worldwide passport, which both routes require. Aer Lingus offers no visa sponsorship, and non-Irish citizens who are successful need a police disclosure certificate from their home country.