Air India Pilot Requirements 2026: Hours, Licence and Hiring Process

Air India recruits experienced pilots through the Air India Group careers portal, for type-rated seats on Air India and Air India Express: A320 First Officers and Senior First Officers with 500 hours on the A320 family after line release, under 40 (45 for defence pilots with an ATPL), and Captains on the A320 or 737 with 100 hours in command on type, under 62; Air India Express has also advertised for non-type-rated 737 Captains from 3,000 hours. Every experienced route asks for an Indian CPL or ATPL with ICAO English Level 4 endorsed on it, a DGCA Class 1, and Indian nationality or an OCI card. Low-hour pilots come in through the Air India Cadet Pilot Programme, which the cadet pays for, and since August 2026 command upgrades run through Air India Express.

Is Air India hiring pilots now?

Recruiting at the last check on 21 September 2026 — First Officer seat: Recruiting; Captain seat: Recruiting. A320 type-rated co-pilots (500 h on type, under 40) on Air India’s own portal; Air India Express seeking A320 Captains (100 h PIC on type, under 62) and First Officers

Why Air India is recruiting

Two things drive it. The group has grown to nearly 300 aircraft since Tata took control in January 2022, and its firm orders since 2023 total 600 aircraft, most still to be delivered (Aviation A2Z, August 2026), and the government told Parliament that Air India alone would need about 5,870 more pilots over the decade (March 2025). The DGCA’s revised flight duty rules, phased in between 1 July and 1 November 2025 with 48 hours of weekly rest and tighter limits on night duty, also raised the number of pilots every Indian airline needs; after IndiGo’s mass cancellations, Air India opened a campaign for A320 and 737 Captains in December 2025 (WION). The Indian airlines on our jobs board, as recorded at each one’s last check:

Requirements, as published

Reading the requirements line by line

• 500 hours after line release. The A320 First Officer advert counts hours flown on the A320 family after you were released to the line, so the type-rating course and line training do not count. A pilot who has bought an A320 rating but not yet flown the line does not qualify; schemes such as IndiGo’s Junior First Officer route are built for that stage. The advert sits on the Group portal; afm.aero reported it opening in February 2026 as an Air India Group campaign.
• An Indian licence, with the English level on it. The adverts ask for a valid CPL or ATPL with a current instrument rating and Pilot Proficiency Check, an FRTOL and a COP or RTR radio licence, a DGCA Class 1, and ICAO English Level 4 or higher endorsed on the Indian licence. An Indian pilot trained abroad has to convert to a DGCA licence before applying.
• Indian nationals or OCI holders only. The type-rated adverts are open to Indian nationals and Overseas Citizens of India. A foreign pilot can fly for an Indian airline only under a DGCA Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation (FATA), which the government has described to Parliament as a way of covering a shortage of commanders on some types (Rajya Sabha answer, February 2025).
• Hard age limits. Type-rated First Officers must be under 40 (45 for defence pilots with the type rating and an ATPL); type-rated Captains under 62; non-type-rated (transition) Captains no older than 60.
• Captains bring their record. Captain applicants supply a certificate of an incident and accident-free record, their breath-analyser record and details of any DGCA enforcement action against the licence.
• The 737 transition route. Air India Express’s non-type-rated 737 Captain advert asks for 3,000 hours total and either 1,000 hours of airline jet experience with 500 in command of aircraft above 5,700 kg, or 1,500 hours of airline turboprop experience with 500 in command of aircraft above 10,000 kg, so a turboprop commander can move to jet command with a rating provided.

Entry routes

• Type-rated First Officer / Senior First Officer A320 — Air India
• Cadet Pilot Programme — Air India Pilot Career Program (DGCA CPL to A320 rating)
• Direct entry Captain A320 — Air India Express
• Direct entry First Officer — Air India Express

Command now runs through Air India Express

In August 2026 Air India set up a common seniority pool across its two airlines. Air India pilots who are eligible for command and want it must move to Air India Express, which flies the narrow-bodies, while Air India offers progression to the wide-bodies (Outlook Business and Aviation A2Z, August 2026). The reported terms: a one-time bonus of Rs 10 lakh for Senior First Officers moving to Air India Express for 737 command, Rs 21 lakh over three years for its existing 737 commanders, and at least two years at a base Air India Express chooses, extendable by six months, before a new commander may choose a base. The same week Air India announced pilot pay rises of 8 to 15% from 1 October, commanders gaining most, and the guaranteed pay for 40 flying hours a month continued.

For an applicant, that means the first command is likely to be on the 737 at Air India Express, at a base you do not pick for two years, whichever airline you join as a First Officer. It also explains some friction: in December 2025 about 100 Air India Express A320 pilots wrote to management opposing outside A320 recruitment, citing low utilisation, fixed 40-hour pay contracts and A320s due back to lessors in early 2026 (afm.aero).

The Cadet Pilot Programme: eligibility and cost

Air India’s cadet programme takes Indian citizens and OCI holders aged 18 to 30 with 60% in each of English, mathematics and physics at 10+2 (the National Institute of Open Schooling is accepted), a height of at least 158 cm and the ability to pass a DGCA Class 1 before flight training (Air India’s cadet pages, as indexed). Selection, as Indian training guides describe it, is an online Aon assessment of aptitude, personality and English, then a group discussion and a personal interview.

It is not sponsored. Indian training guides put the total at about Rs 1.1 crore plus GST, including about Rs 30 lakh for the type rating (July 2026). Air India’s cadet pages say the fees are paid in instalments tied to training milestones, and that cadets may use the financing partners Air India has arranged or any other lender. Training runs about 18 months to the licence, then the type rating, at Air India’s own flying school at Amravati, announced in 2024 to train up to 180 pilots a year on 34 aircraft, or at partner schools. Successful cadets receive a conditional letter of intent; the service or bond terms are not published, so read the training agreement before you sign. Guides reported in August 2026 that no application window was open.

Selection process

The airline does not publish its selection stages in detail; expect an online application, screening against the published minimums, an interview and a simulator or aptitude assessment before the medical.

What the adverts say about selection

The type-rated First Officer and Captain adverts do name the stages, the same four in each: a psychometric assessment, a personal interview, a simulator flight proficiency test and a pre-employment medical examination. Captains also go through a regulatory review of their incident and accident record over the previous three years (Indian press reports of the December 2025 campaign). The First Officer advert gives preference to candidates who can join immediately, so a long notice period is worth raising early.

Bases and fleet

Bases: Delhi · Mumbai · Bengaluru · Kochi (Express) · and others

Fleet: A320 family · A350-900 · B777-300ER · B787-8 / -9 · B737-8 (Air India Express)

Fleet changes that decide where new pilots fly

• Wide-bodies arriving. Air India inducted its first line-fit 787-9 in January 2026 and took its fourth at the end of August 2026 (Free Press Journal), expects its first A350-1000 by the end of the year, and is refitting its older 787-8s and 777-300ERs. Wide-body seats are where Air India, rather than Air India Express, offers progression.
• The 737 grows at Air India Express. Air India Express flies 737-8s and 737-800s alongside A320s. In January 2026 the group ordered 30 more 737 MAX (Boeing), and Air India Express pilots said in December 2025 that at least ten A320s would go back to lessors in early 2026 (afm.aero). That is why 737 commanders are in demand and why the command path runs through Air India Express.
• Bases. The adverts give the job location as Gurugram, the head office. Air India Express flies from Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai and from Kerala cities such as Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram, and new commanders serve at least two years at the base it assigns.

How to prepare

The adverts publish four selection stages: a psychometric assessment, a personal interview, a simulator flight proficiency test and a pre-employment medical. Type-rated candidates are tested on their own aircraft, so the A320 bank or the B737 bank is the core, with the ATPL theory banks for the interview. Pilots holding a foreign licence have the DGCA conversion to complete before they can apply, and cadets face an online aptitude, personality and English assessment before a group discussion and interview, so timed reasoning practice helps at both ends.

The complete airline pilot interview guide covers the psychometric, interview and simulator stages, and the top 50 A320 interview questions the type questions for the A320 seats. To compare India’s other large recruiter, read our IndiGo pilot requirements. Check Air India’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.

What we could not confirm

• Researched on 21 September 2026 from search-engine results of the airline’s own careers pages, job postings and industry job boards — not from a direct read of the portal. Confirm the vacancy is still open before you apply.
• Whether non-type-rated First Officers are being taken outside the cadet programme
• Expatriate eligibility

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

How many hours do you need to fly for Air India? For a type-rated A320 First Officer or Senior First Officer, 500 hours on the A320 family after line release; Air India Express’s 737 First Officer advert asked for 100 hours on the 737 after line release. Type-rated Captains need 100 hours in command on the A320 or 737 family, and non-type-rated 737 Captains at Air India Express 3,000 hours total with 500 in command. Cadets start with no hours.

Can foreign pilots or OCI holders apply to Air India? OCI holders can: the type-rated adverts are open to Indian nationals and Overseas Citizens of India, with a DGCA licence and ICAO English Level 4 endorsed on it. Foreign nationals are not eligible on those adverts, and foreign pilots fly for Indian airlines only under a DGCA Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation. Recruitment agencies have advertised Air India 777 Captain contracts (Rishworth Aviation: 5,000 hours total, 2,500 in command, 700 in command on the 777); we could not confirm them on Air India’s portal.

How much does the Air India Cadet Pilot Programme cost? Indian training guides put it at about Rs 1.1 crore plus GST, including about Rs 30 lakh for the type rating (July 2026). The cadet pays, in instalments tied to training milestones, and may use the financing partners Air India has arranged or any other lender. We could not confirm the figure on Air India’s own pages, and the service or bond terms are in the training agreement, not on any published page.

What is the age limit for Air India pilots? Type-rated First Officers must be under 40, or under 45 for defence pilots with the type rating and an ATPL. Type-rated Captains must be under 62, and non-type-rated (transition) Captains at Air India Express no older than 60. Cadets must be 18 to 30.

Do Air India pilots have to move to Air India Express to become Captain? Under the framework Air India introduced in August 2026, yes for those who want command: eligible pilots move to Air India Express, which flies the narrow-bodies, under a common seniority pool, and serve at least two years at a base it assigns. Senior First Officers moving for 737 command receive a one-time Rs 10 lakh bonus. Air India itself offers progression to the wide-bodies.