Azul Linhas Aéreas Pilot Requirements 2026: Hours, License and Hiring Process

In July 2026 Azul took pilot applications through one door, the Pilot Talent Bank (Banco de Talentos de Pilotos) on its careers portal, and raised its plan to 446 pilot hires by the end of 2026, as the Brazilian press reported it (Agência Infra and AEROIN, 21 July 2026). The vacancies at Azul itself were for co-pilots on the Embraer E195-E1 and E195-E2 and the ATR 72; the Captain vacancies were at Azul Conecta, its regional airline. The reports name no single hours minimum: Azul’s Pilot Recruitment Committee assesses your hours. What decides most applications is the paperwork: an ANAC commercial pilot license with an IFR rating, a multi-engine or type rating, a first-class medical, ICAO English Level 4 and a valid Brazilian passport, with a US B1/B2 visa for the jets and, in one report, the PLA theory pass. At the last check, on 14 November 2026, no later announcement had surfaced, and the first ten vacancies on Azul’s portal, all we could read, were ground roles. Azul flies E-Jets, ATR 72-600s, A320neo-family jets and A330neos; our record lists its hubs as Viracopos (Campinas), Belo Horizonte Confins and Recife.

Is Azul Linhas Aéreas hiring pilots now?

Recruiting at the last check on 14 November 2026 — First Officer seat: Recruiting; Captain seat: Recruiting. 446 pilot hires planned by the end of 2026 (July 2026): co-pilots for the E195-E1, E195-E2 and ATR 72 at Azul, co-pilots and Captains at the regional Azul Conecta, all through the Pilot Talent Bank; hours assessed by a committee, Brazilian passport

Requirements, as published

Reading the requirements line by line

Azul’s careers portal, read on 14 November 2026, listed 62 vacancies, and the first ten, all we could read, were ground roles, so the requirements here are as the Brazilian press reported Azul’s announcement of July 2026 (Brasilturis, Bem Paraná and Correio da Manhã, 1 July 2026), read with Brazil’s licensing rules as ANAC, its civil aviation authority, publishes them. The reports say each role’s requirements are posted on the portal: read the posting of the role you apply to.

• No hours figure. The reports say your flight hours are assessed by Azul’s Pilot Recruitment Committee (“horas de voo analisadas pelo Comitê de Recrutamento de Pilotos”), not counted against a published minimum. That is not a promise of a seat at any total: the committee decides what is enough.
• A commercial license, IFR and a multi-engine or type rating. For Azul’s co-pilots, an ANAC commercial pilot license (PC, piloto comercial), an IFR rating and a multi-engine land (MLTE) or type rating. ANAC adds the MLTE class rating to an airplane pilot’s license after at least 12 hours of flight instruction on multi-engine airplanes, including at least two on an airplane of the make and model used for the proficiency check, and a class rating is valid for 24 months (ANAC’s service page, read on 14 November 2026). For Azul Conecta’s Fast Track co-pilots, one report (Brasilturis) lists IFR and single-engine land (MNTE) ratings, valid or expired (“válida ou vencida”); the MNTE is one of ANAC’s airplane class ratings, and ANAC has a service to restore one that has expired.
• The PLA theory pass, not the PLA. The PLA (piloto de linha aérea) is Brazil’s airline transport pilot license. ANAC grants it to a pilot of at least 21 with a commercial license, a first-class medical, a pass in ANAC’s theory exam and at least 1,500 hours of flight time on airplanes (ANAC’s service page, as search results showed it on 14 November 2026), the same total as ICAO’s floor (ICAO Annex 1, 2.6.3.1.1). One July 2026 report lists the theory pass, the “PLA teórico”, for Azul’s co-pilots; the 1,500 hours come later, in the right seat.
• English: a minimum at Azul, a plus at Conecta. ICAO English Level 4 or higher is a minimum requirement for Azul’s co-pilots and only a differential, a point in your favor, for Azul Conecta’s, as the reports list it.
• A Brazilian passport, and a US visa for the jets. The reports ask for a valid Brazilian passport, and Azul’s co-pilots also need a valid US B1/B2 visa, except on the ATR fleet (Bem Paraná and Notícias do Brasil, July 2026).
• Jet Training or multi-crew experience. One report lists, for Azul’s co-pilots, Jet Training or multi-crew experience; the others leave it out. A university degree counts in your favor and is not required.
• A first-class medical. A valid ANAC first-class CMA (certificado médico aeronáutico).

Entry routes

• Co-pilot Embraer E195-E1 / E195-E2 and ATR 72-600 — Azul
• Co-pilot and Captain — Azul Conecta (the July 2026 vacancies named the Cessna Caravan and the Pilatus PC-12)
• Fast Track co-pilot — Azul Conecta
• Pilot Talent Bank (Banco de Talentos de Pilotos) on Azul’s careers portal, voeazul.gupy.io — the way in for every stream, as reported in July 2026

Azul beside GOL and LATAM

Azul beside Brazil’s other two large airlines on our jobs board, as recorded at each airline’s last check:

Read each row with its date. The three airlines’ latest co-pilot calls, as the Brazilian press reported them, all asked for an ANAC commercial license with an IFR rating and PLA theory (GOL’s the course, LATAM Brasil’s the exam pass and, in one report of July 2026, Azul’s the pass), and none required a type rating. Where they differ is the hours: GOL’s 2026 co-pilot selection asked for 500 hours on fixed-wing aircraft and LATAM Brasil’s 2026 talent pool for 150, while Azul names no figure at all. Azul and LATAM Brasil asked for a Brazilian passport; GOL’s co-pilot selection, as reported, for a valid passport.

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.

Bases and fleet

Bases: São Paulo Viracopos · Belo Horizonte Confins · Recife

Fleet: Embraer E195-E2 / E195 (E1) · ATR 72-600 · A320neo / A321neo · A330neo · Cessna Grand Caravan and, from September 2026, the Cessna 408 SkyCourier (Azul Conecta)

Azul in 2026: after Chapter 11, a smaller fleet

Azul left US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2026, its reorganization plan taking effect on 25 February 2026 (AltexSoft and Mercado & Eventos, as search results showed them). When it filed, in 2025, Azul said its future fleet would be 35% smaller (Folha de Pernambuco), and AEROIN reported a passenger fleet of 155 aircraft at the end of the second quarter of 2026, both as search results showed them. Azul Conecta, the regional airline, was reported in June 2026 to fly only Cessna Grand Caravans (Mercado & Consumo, 24 June 2026), and it bought two Cessna 408 SkyCouriers, its first twin-engine type, the first of which set off for Brazil in late September 2026 (Brasilturis, 22 September 2026). The 446-pilot plan of July 2026 comes in the year Azul left Chapter 11, so check the base and fleet of the posting you apply to.

How to prepare

Most of Azul’s co-pilot seats are on the Embraer E195-E1 and E195-E2 and the ATR 72-600, so start with v1prep’s E-Jet bank, which covers the E2 models as well as the first generation, and the ATR 72 bank; Azul also flies the A320neo family, covered by the A320 bank below, and the A330neo, covered by the A330 bank. Azul publishes no selection stages in what we could read, so prepare as for any airline selection, with the A320 interview set for a technical interview and the CRM interview set for the crew resource management questions. The PLA theory pass, which one report lists for Azul’s co-pilots, is Brazil’s own, set by ANAC: the ATPL theory banks follow the EASA syllabus rather than Brazil’s, so use them for the performance, meteorology and navigation underneath and prepare ANAC’s theory exam from its own material. Because a committee weighs your hours rather than measuring them against a published line, put your record in order before you register: every flight entered in ANAC’s electronic logbook (the CIV Digital), your IFR and multi-engine ratings, your first-class medical and your English certificate current, and your passport and, for the jets, a US B1/B2 visa in hand.

Azul has no interview guide on v1prep yet, so for the selection read the complete airline pilot interview guide and the Library’s airline pilot recruitment and selection. For the aircraft, start with the Library’s Embraer E-Jet family and flight deck; if you have no airline time yet, read multi-crew cooperation and jet orientation courses, since one report of July 2026 lists Jet Training or multi-crew experience for Azul’s co-pilots, and class and type ratings for what a multi-engine class rating and a type rating each add to a license. Brazil’s other large airlines are on GOL pilot requirements and LATAM pilot requirements, the region’s on pilot jobs in Latin America, and the other E-Jet and turboprop employers on Embraer pilot jobs and turboprop pilot jobs. Check Azul’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.

What we could not confirm

• Researched on 14 November 2026 from search-engine results of the Brazilian press reports of Azul’s announcements (July 2026) and of its fleet, and from the first page of Azul’s careers portal (voeazul.gupy.io), read that day in a GitHub runner’s download: 62 vacancies, the first ten all ground roles, and a general talent-bank invitation, but no pilot posting in what we could read. Confirm the vacancy is still open before you apply.
• Whether the Pilot Talent Bank is still taking applications in November 2026, and for which streams: no report after 21 July 2026 surfaced, and no pilot posting was among the vacancies we could read on Azul’s portal on 14 November 2026
• Whether Azul’s own co-pilot streams accept an IFR or multi-engine rating that has expired: one July 2026 report (Brasilturis) says “válida ou vencida” (valid or expired) for Azul Conecta’s Fast Track co-pilots, and the reports say only “válida” for Azul’s
• Whether the PLA theory pass is a requirement for Azul’s co-pilots: it appears in one July 2026 report only
• Whether Jet Training or multi-crew experience is a requirement for Azul’s co-pilots: it appears in one July 2026 report only
• Whether Azul Conecta flies the Pilatus PC-12: its July 2026 vacancies named the type, but its fleet was reported in June 2026 as all Cessna Grand Caravans, with the SkyCourier to follow
• Who provides and pays for the type rating, and on what terms

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 Azul hiring pilots? Azul’s plan, as the Brazilian press reported it on 21 July 2026, was to hire 446 pilots by the end of 2026, admitted gradually until December: co-pilots for the E195-E1, E195-E2 and ATR 72 at Azul, and co-pilots and Captains at Azul Conecta, its regional airline. At the last check, on 14 November 2026, no later announcement or closing date had surfaced, and the first ten of the 62 vacancies on Azul’s careers portal, all we could read that day, were ground roles, so check the Pilot Talent Bank there before you count on a seat.

How many hours do you need to fly for Azul? Azul publishes no single minimum. Its July 2026 announcement, as reported, says your flight hours are assessed by its Pilot Recruitment Committee. You need an ANAC commercial pilot license with an IFR rating, but the committee decides what total is enough, so log every hour in ANAC’s electronic logbook and apply with your record complete.

Do you need a type rating to fly for Azul? No. For Azul’s co-pilots the July 2026 reports list a commercial pilot license with an IFR rating and a multi-engine (MLTE) or type rating, so a multi-engine class rating is enough on paper. Who provides and pays for the E-Jet or ATR type rating, and on what terms, was not in what we could read.

Can foreign pilots fly for Azul? Not on the terms reported in July 2026: the vacancies ask for a valid Brazilian passport, and Azul’s co-pilots on the jets also need a valid US B1/B2 visa. We found no Azul vacancy that sponsors a work visa.

What is Azul Conecta? Azul’s regional airline, reported in June 2026 to fly only Cessna Grand Caravans; it bought two Cessna 408 SkyCouriers, the first of which set off for Brazil in late September 2026. Azul’s Captain vacancies of July 2026 were there, with co-pilot and Fast Track co-pilot vacancies too. One report lists for the Fast Track co-pilots a commercial pilot license with IFR and single-engine land (MNTE) ratings, valid or expired, and at Azul Conecta ICAO English Level 4 only counts in your favor, as reported. Applications went through the same Pilot Talent Bank as Azul’s, as reported in July 2026.