Cargolux Pilot Requirements 2026: Hours, License and Hiring Process

Cargolux, the Luxembourg cargo airline, flies only Boeing 747 freighters, the 747-8F and the 747-400F, from its one home base in Luxembourg, on rotations that average seven days. It recruits experienced pilots only: 1,500 hours of multi-pilot, multi-engine time on jets or on CS-25 turboprops above 10 tonnes or 19 seats, an EASA ATPL, a CPL with instrument rating and ATPL theory, or an MPL, a Class 1 medical, English at ICAO Level 4 (Level 6 preferred), a full secondary school diploma, the right to live and work in the EU, and your agreement to transfer your license to a Luxembourg-issued EASA license. It publishes these minimums for pilots with or without a B747-400 rating, and selects them through in-house pass/fail steps: aptitude tests at its Luxembourg headquarters, an assessment center, a 747 simulator screening and a company interview. At the last check, on 12 November 2026, we could not confirm whether a First Officer vacancy was open: its requirements page lists none, and its job openings page did not load its list when we read it.

Is Cargolux hiring pilots now?

Unconfirmed at the last check on 12 November 2026 — First Officer seat: Unconfirmed; Captain seat: Not offered. Experienced pilots only: 1,500 h multi-pilot multi-engine on jets or CS-25 turboprops above 10 t / 19 seats, EASA ATPL / CPL-IR with ATPL theory / MPL, EU right to live and work, license transferred to Luxembourg, in-house pass/fail selection

Requirements, as published

Reading the requirements line by line

We read Cargolux’s requirements and selection page on 12 November 2026; its text was the same as on 18 October 2026. Read each line with what it counts in mind:

• 1,500 hours, multi-pilot and multi-engine. Only time in multi-pilot operations on a multi-engine aircraft counts, and only on jets or on turboprops certified to CS-25 with a maximum takeoff mass above 10 tonnes or more than 19 seats. Single-pilot time, instructing on light aircraft and time on smaller turboprops do not count toward it, however many hours they add up to. The Library’s CS-25 large airplane certification explains the category.
• An ATPL, a frozen ATPL or an MPL. Cargolux takes a CPL with instrument rating and the ATPL theory passed, a “frozen” ATPL, beside the full license. The full ATPL(A) needs 1,500 hours of flight time in airplanes, including 500 in multi-pilot operations and either 500 as pilot in command under supervision or 250 as pilot in command, among other minimums (FCL.510.A), so a First Officer with 1,500 multi-pilot hours may still hold a frozen ATPL.
• A Luxembourg license. You agree to transfer your license to one issued in Luxembourg. Under Europe’s aircrew rules you hold one license per category of aircraft and may ask another member state’s authority to take over all your licenses (FCL.015(c) and (e)); the receiving authority obtains a verification of your license and your medical records from the old one, reissues the license and medical certificate, and asks you to surrender the old ones (ARA.GEN.360). Ask Cargolux when it wants the transfer done.
• The B747-400 rating. Cargolux publishes its requirements for pilots “non-type rated and type-rated on B747-400”, so a rating is not required. Who pays for a non-rated pilot’s rating, and whether a training bond applies, are among the points we could not confirm; Cargolux’s working conditions page gives a salary for the initial training period of about two months (below).
• The EU, and travel. Authorization to live and work within the European Union is essential, with unrestricted rights for international travel, a security background check and a pre-employment medical test.
• A Class 1, English and school. An EASA Class 1 is valid for 12 months, and for 6 months from the age of 60 (MED.A.045). English must be at ICAO Level 4 at least, preferably Level 6, and Cargolux asks for at least a full secondary education diploma, such as the Baccalauréat, Abitur, A-Levels or Matura.

Entry routes

• Direct entry First Officer B747: experienced pilots, with or without a B747-400 rating; no vacancy confirmed open on 12 November 2026
• Direct entry Captain: not published

Cargolux beside the other cargo airlines and its neighbors

Cargolux beside Luxair, three of Europe’s larger airlines and the US cargo airlines on our jobs board, as recorded at each airline’s last check:

Read each row with its date. Luxair, the other Luxembourg airline on the board, flies Boeing 737s, Embraer E195-E2s and Dash 8-400s, not freighters. Cargolux also has an Italian subsidiary, Cargolux Italia, based near Milan Malpensa with four Boeing 747-400 freighters; its careers page, read on 12 November 2026, lists the same pilot minimums, with the license transferred to an Italy-issued EASA license instead. Cargolux Italia is not on our jobs board.

Selection process

1. Online application and pre-selection
2. Pilot aptitude tests at Cargolux’s headquarters in Luxembourg, after a mandatory online preparation phase
3. Assessment center: group exercises and role-play
4. Simulator screening: a one-hour briefing and about 45 minutes on the B747-8F or B747-400F simulator
5. Company interview with the selection board, its decision given straight after

Bases and fleet

Bases: Luxembourg

Fleet: Boeing 747-8F: 14, and Boeing 747-400F: 16, in July 2026 (Cargo Newswire, 17 July 2026); Cargolux’s fleet page counts 30 Boeing 747-400 and 747-8 freighters in the Cargolux Group · Boeing 747-400F: four more being acquired from China Airlines, due to join the fleet in 2027 (Cargo Newswire, 17 July 2026) · Boeing 777-8F: 10 on order to replace the 747-400s (Cargolux, 29 April 2026), with deliveries now expected from 2029 (Cargo Newswire, 17 July 2026; The Loadstar)

Pay, rosters and commuting, as Cargolux publishes them

Cargolux’s working conditions page, read on 12 November 2026, publishes what most airlines do not:

• Three First Officer grades. The monthly gross basic salary, effective 1 September 2026 (index 992.24), is EUR 6,592.64 for a Junior First Officer, EUR 7,145.42 for a First Officer and EUR 7,767.25 for a Senior First Officer, and EUR 4,671.07 during the initial training period of about two months. Under Luxembourg law salaries follow the cost of living: when the consumer price index rises by 2.5% in the previous semester, they are normally adjusted by the same proportion. Per diems, Sunday and night-duty supplements and overtime pay come on top, with a 13th-month salary (a quarter of it in the first year, in full from the second).
• Seven-day rotations. Rotations average seven days, on scheduled and ACMI cargo flights to more than 80 destinations, and the monthly roster has at least 12 days off, in blocks of consecutive days that the page sets out. Cargolux lists 42 vacation days and part-time schemes of 2 to 4 extra days off a month, subject to operational feasibility.
• Commuting to Luxembourg. Pilots may commute to and from Luxembourg on a jumpseat on Cargolux aircraft, from the destination in its network closest to home, and are affiliated with the Luxembourg social security system.

These are Cargolux’s own figures on the date we read them; pay and terms change, so check the page before you apply.

How to prepare

There is no 747 bank on v1prep, so the ATPL theory banks are the technical preparation: the aerodynamics, performance, systems, meteorology and long-range navigation a widebody freighter interview and simulator screening draw on. Cargolux’s steps are published, so prepare for each. Before the aptitude tests in Luxembourg you complete a mandatory online preparation phase with Cargolux’s partner, whose results Cargolux does not see, so use it fully; the Library’s pilot aptitude tests explains what such tests measure. The assessment center is group exercises and role-play watched by the selection board: read crew resource management, and practice speaking up, listening and summarizing in a group. For the simulator screening Cargolux sends preparation material for its 747-8F and 747-400F simulators in advance; it is a one-hour briefing and about 45 minutes of flying, assessed on flying skills, technical knowledge, adaptability and CRM, and the Library’s airline simulator assessment covers the habits that count: briefings, callouts and a raw-data scan. The company interview is about your background, your career and your motivation for Cargolux, so prepare true examples in the STAR structure from competency-based pilot interviews, and know the freight side of the job: dangerous goods, cargo loading and floor limits and cargo fire protection. Have your logbook totals of multi-pilot, multi-engine time on qualifying aircraft ready before you apply, since the pre-selection checks them against the published requirements.

Cargolux 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. The Library’s CS-25 large airplane certification explains which aircraft count toward the 1,500 hours, and oceanic and North Atlantic operations the long-range side of the flying. For the other airlines flying freighters, read cargo pilot jobs, Atlas Air pilot requirements (another 747 operator) and KLM pilot requirements (whose Martinair Cargo flies 747-400Fs); for Europe as a whole, airline pilot jobs in Europe and pilot jobs in Europe for non-EU citizens. Check Cargolux’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.

What we could not confirm

• Read directly on 12 November 2026: Cargolux’s requirements and selection page, its working conditions and fleet pages and its results release of 29 April 2026; its crew job openings page did not show its list. From search-engine results of 18 October 2026: the B747 type rating provided (job-board copies of its postings). Confirm a vacancy is open before you apply.
• Whether Cargolux has a First Officer vacancy open: on 12 November 2026 its requirements page listed none and its crew job openings page, downloaded without a browser, showed “Loading...” beside its no-results line; Moovijob’s copy of a Cargolux First Officer posting, in search results, was published on 13 August and 14 October 2026
• Who pays for the B747 type rating, and whether it is bonded: Cargolux’s page and the postings in search results do not say

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 Cargolux hiring pilots? Unconfirmed at the last check, on 12 November 2026: Cargolux’s requirements page lists no open position, and its job openings page, downloaded without a browser, showed a loading message beside its no-results line, so it did not show whether one was open. Job boards carried a Cargolux First Officer listing published in August and again in October 2026, which we could not open. Cargolux publishes its minimums and selection for pilots with and without a B747-400 rating, so check its job openings page before you apply.

How many hours do you need to fly for Cargolux? 1,500 hours of multi-pilot, multi-engine time on jet aircraft, or on CS-25 turboprops with a maximum takeoff mass above 10 tonnes or more than 19 seats. Single-pilot time and time on smaller aircraft do not count toward it.

Do you need a B747 type rating to fly for Cargolux? No. Cargolux publishes its requirements for pilots non-type-rated and type-rated on the B747-400. Who pays for the rating of a pilot without one, and whether a training bond applies, are among the points we could not confirm, so ask before you accept an offer.

Can non-EU pilots fly for Cargolux? Only with the right to live and work in the EU: Cargolux lists authorization to live and work within the European Union, unrestricted rights for international travel and your agreement to transfer your license to a Luxembourg-issued EASA license among its essential requirements. It takes an EASA ATPL, a CPL with instrument rating and ATPL theory, or an MPL.

How much does a Cargolux First Officer earn? Cargolux publishes its salaries: from 1 September 2026 (index 992.24), the monthly gross basic salary is EUR 6,592.64 for a Junior First Officer, EUR 7,145.42 for a First Officer and EUR 7,767.25 for a Senior First Officer, and EUR 4,671.07 during the initial training period of about two months, with per diems, supplements and a 13th-month salary on top (working conditions page, read on 12 November 2026).