flydubai Pilot Requirements 2026: Hours, Licence and Hiring Process
flydubai publishes its pilot vacancies — Captain, First Officer, Second Officer and Pilot Cadet — on its own portal and recruits only there. Rated 737 First Officers need an ICAO ATPL, 1,500 multi-pilot hours and 500 on the 737-300 to -900, with the type endorsed within the last 24 months; a non-type-rated First Officer route (2,500 hours total) has been relayed by job boards, and low-hour pilots apply as Second Officers or Pilot Cadets (a cadet advert from 225 hours circulated in 2026). ICAO Class 1, ICAO English 4, UAE residence visa sponsored, training bond of USD 24,000 (rated) or USD 36,000 (non-rated) reducing over 36 months. All-Boeing 737 for now, all Dubai.
Always confirm on the airline’s own careers page before applying. Every figure here is what the airline published at the date shown against it on our jobs board; entries marked Unconfirmed are ones whose requirements we found but whose current vacancy status we could not establish from the airline’s own pages. Vacancies open and close without notice.
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Is flydubai hiring pilots now?
Recruiting at the last check on 21 September 2026 — First Officer seat: Recruiting; Captain seat: Recruiting. Vacancy pages live for First Officer, Captain and Second Officer; which streams are accepting applications could not be confirmed on the portal.
What the airline’s own material showed: flydubai’s own careers pages for First Officer (careers.flydubai.com/first-officer), Captain (/captain) and Second Officer vacancies appeared in search results in late September 2026, job boards were relaying its pilot adverts, and a Pilot Cadet advert from 225 hours circulated in 2026. flydubai recruits only through its own portal, which we could not open to confirm which streams are accepting applications. The 2026 regional conflict is the backdrop: the UAE partially closed its airspace from 28 February, UAE carriers restarted gradually in March and the last restrictions were lifted in early May; in mid-September the chief executive said flydubai was serving about 130 of its roughly 140 pre-war destinations and expected to be back at or slightly above pre-war capacity by the end of the year (our study-guide research, September 2026).
Requirements, as published
| Requirement | As published by the airline |
|---|---|
| Licence | ICAO ATPL (type-rated First Officer); the cadet advert, as indexed, considers a frozen ATPL |
| Minimum hours | Type-rated First Officer: 1,500 h on multi-pilot aircraft. Non-type-rated First Officer (as relayed by job boards): 2,500 h total, 1,000 h on modern EFIS multi-crew multi-engine aircraft above 10 t and 1,500 h on multi-pilot aircraft. Captain (Captain vacancy page as indexed on 21 September 2026, not confirmed on the portal): 5,000 h total, 1,500 h in command of multi-crew multi-engine aircraft above 10 t and 1,000 h in command on the B737NG |
| Hours on type | Type-rated First Officer: 500 h on the B737-300 to -900 (NG/EFIS), type endorsed within the last 24 months — if your 737 hours are on the MAX, check how the advert treats them |
| Type rating | Required for the rated stream. Training bond reduced over 36 months: USD 24,000 if type rated, USD 36,000 if not |
| Right to work | Eligibility for a UAE residence visa, which the airline sponsors |
| Medical | ICAO Class 1 |
| English | ICAO Level 4 or above |
Entry routes
- Type-rated First Officer B737
- Non-type-rated First Officer — as relayed by job boards
- Direct entry Captain B737 — vacancy page; requirements on the careers site
- Second Officer (see careers site)
- Pilot Cadet — a cadet advert from 225 h circulated in 2026
Selection process
- Online application with documents
- Online psychometric tests (work behaviour, logical thinking, multitasking, verbal reasoning), with practice questions offered first
- On-demand video interview
- Two assessment days in Dubai: psychometric assessment with the psychology team, competency-based interviews, a document check and a simulator assessment
- Medical and pre-employment checks
Bases and fleet
Bases: Dubai — the only pilot base
Fleet: 98 aircraft in September 2026 (airline figures): 25 B737-800, 69 B737 MAX 8, 4 B737 MAX 9 · 11 MAX deliveries in 2026 · 30 B787-9 on order (first reported for late 2027 or early 2028) · November 2025 memoranda for 75 more MAX and 150 A321neo — check whether either has become a firm order
How to prepare
The B737 bank is the entire technical syllabus for now — flydubai flies the 737-800, MAX 8 and MAX 9, with 787-9s on order and an A321neo memorandum signed, and the fleet is mostly MAX, so know both variants and the differences between them. The process is online psychometric tests (behaviour, logic, multitasking, verbal reasoning), an on-demand video interview and two assessment days in Dubai with a simulator — candidates report a 737 session flown as both pilot flying and pilot monitoring, often with Dubai-area procedures — so practise timed reasoning tests alongside the systems questions, and use the ATPL banks for performance and meteorology.
Then read the complete airline pilot interview guide for the HR and competency stages, and check flydubai’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.
What we could not confirm
- Researched in September 2026 from search-engine results of the airline’s own careers pages, its press material, job postings and industry job boards — not from a direct read of the portal. Confirm the vacancy is still open before you apply.
- Which First Officer streams are accepting applications, and the current Captain requirements (the Captain figures above are from the page as indexed)
- Whether the November 2025 MAX and A321neo memoranda have become firm orders
- Bond terms and pay for the cadet stream
- Whether the Captain vacancy is open to non-rated Captains
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 flydubai hiring pilots right now? Recruiting at the last check (21 September 2026): First Officer seat recruiting, Captain seat recruiting. Vacancy pages live for First Officer, Captain and Second Officer; which streams are accepting applications could not be confirmed on the portal. Confirm on the airline’s own careers page before applying.
How many flight hours do you need to join flydubai? 1,500 h MPA / 500 h 737 (rated FO). In full: Type-rated First Officer: 1,500 h on multi-pilot aircraft. Non-type-rated First Officer (as relayed by job boards): 2,500 h total, 1,000 h on modern EFIS multi-crew multi-engine aircraft above 10 t and 1,500 h on multi-pilot aircraft. Captain (Captain vacancy page as indexed on 21 September 2026, not confirmed on the portal): 5,000 h total, 1,500 h in command of multi-crew multi-engine aircraft above 10 t and 1,000 h in command on the B737NG.
Does flydubai hire direct entry Captains? Yes — flydubai was taking Captain applications at the last check.
Does flydubai provide the type rating? Required (rated) · bonded. In full: Required for the rated stream. Training bond reduced over 36 months: USD 24,000 if type rated, USD 36,000 if not.
Do I need the right to work in United Arab Emirates? Eligibility for a UAE residence visa, which the airline sponsors.
What is flydubai’s pilot selection process? Online application with documents → Online psychometric tests (work behaviour, logical thinking, multitasking, verbal reasoning), with practice questions offered first → On-demand video interview → Two assessment days in Dubai: psychometric assessment with the psychology team, competency-based interviews, a document check and a simulator assessment → Medical and pre-employment checks
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