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

GOL fills its right seats through dated co-pilot selections and a talent bank. Its first selection of 2026, for its Guarulhos base, took applications from 9 January to 31 May 2026, as the Brazilian press reported it, and asked for 500 hours on fixed-wing aircraft, proven in ANAC’s electronic logbook, an ANAC commercial pilot license with valid IFR and multi-engine ratings, the PLA theory course, ICAO English Level 4 and a valid passport, and no type rating: a Boeing 737 rating only counts in your favor. From 20 March to 31 May 2026 GOL also sought A330-900 Captains, with an A330 rating and wide-body long-haul experience (Mercado & Eventos). At the last check, on 14 November 2026, no later pilot selection had surfaced, and GOL’s careers page, read that day, invited applicants to its talent bank and still showed the words “Comandante A330”. GOL flies Boeing 737-800s and 737 MAX 8s, our record lists its bases as São Paulo Guarulhos, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília, and it began long-haul flights from Rio de Janeiro in July 2026, at first on A330s wet-leased from Wamos Air.

Is GOL Linhas Aéreas hiring pilots now?

Talent pool at the last check on 14 November 2026 — First Officer seat: Talent pool; Captain seat: Unconfirmed. Co-pilots from 500 h on fixed-wing aircraft in the electronic logbook, with an ANAC commercial license, valid IFR and multi-engine ratings, PLA theory and ICAO 4; the 2026 selection (Guarulhos) ran 9 January to 31 May. A330-900 Captains were sought from March to May 2026

Requirements, as published

Reading the requirements line by line

We could not read GOL’s co-pilot posting itself, so the requirements here are as the Brazilian press reported GOL’s selection of January 2026 (AEROIN; Brasilturis, 19 January 2026), read with Brazil’s licensing rules as ANAC, its civil aviation authority, publishes them.

• 500 hours, on fixed-wing aircraft, in the CIV. GOL asked for at least 500 hours of flight time on fixed-wing aircraft, proven in the electronic logbook (“comprovadas na CIV Eletrônica”). The CIV Digital is ANAC’s electronic logbook, which replaced the paper one, so check that every hour you count is entered there.
• Valid IFR and multi-engine ratings. A commercial pilot license with an IFR rating and a multi-engine rating, both valid, as Brasilturis listed them; an earlier version of our record had the multi-engine rating as valid or expired, so read the posting you apply to. ANAC adds the multi-engine land (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).
• PLA theory, 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). GOL’s co-pilots need the theory course, not the license: the 1,500 hours come later, in the right seat.
• English and a passport. ICAO English Level 4 or higher, and a valid passport. One press report of the January 2026 selection also lists a US B1/B2 visa valid for more than six months, which the others do not, so we have not counted it as a requirement.
• No type rating. A Boeing 737 rating counts in your favor and is not required, and so do a degree, aeronautical sciences preferred, airline experience under RBAC 121 (Brazil’s rules for airline operations), turboprop or jet time, an instructor rating and a Jet Training course.
• The A330-900 Captain selection. From 20 March to 31 May 2026, as Mercado & Eventos reported it: an airline transport pilot license, an A330 type rating, more than five years in the role and on the aircraft, wide-body long-haul experience, a valid Brazilian passport, US B1, B2 and D visas, ICAO English Level 4 or higher and willingness to relocate.

GOL has hired co-pilots in numbers before: in October 2025 it said it would take on 120 new co-pilots between September and December 2025, about one a day (Forbes Brasil, October 2025).

Entry routes

• External co-pilot selection and talent bank — the 2026 selection, for the Guarulhos base, ran from 9 January to 31 May 2026
• Direct-entry Captain A330-900 — a selection ran from 20 March to 31 May 2026; “Comandante A330” still appeared on GOL’s careers page on 14 November 2026

GOL beside Azul and LATAM

GOL 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. GOL’s 500 hours is the highest published co-pilot entry point of the three: LATAM Brasil’s 2026 talent pool asked for 150 hours, and Azul names no figure, its Pilot Recruitment Committee assessing the hours, as each was reported. All three hired co-pilots on an ANAC commercial license with an IFR rating, without a type rating, in their latest reported calls, and GOL and LATAM Brasil asked for PLA theory too (GOL the course, LATAM Brasil the exam pass), as did one report of Azul’s. 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 Guarulhos · Rio de Janeiro · Brasília

Fleet: B737-800 · B737 MAX 8 · A330-900 (up to five, reported in September 2026 as due during 2027; meanwhile an A330neo due to pass to Avianca, for certification and crew training from September 2026)

The A330s and the long-haul routes

Until 2026 GOL flew only Boeing 737s, a single-type fleet since it began flying in 2001 (Air Data News, 6 March 2026). Its first long-haul route, Rio de Janeiro Galeão to New York JFK, began on 8 July 2026, three times a week (Mercado & Eventos, as search results showed it), with an A330 operated by Wamos Air, and Lisbon was to follow on 16 September 2026, at first with a Wamos A330 too (Melhores Destinos, 8 September 2026). Under that wet lease (ACMI), Wamos provides the aircraft and the crew, pilots included, and GOL crew members fly along to look after the service, as the Brazilian press reported it. GOL’s own A330-900s are to follow: up to five, which GOL expected in 2026 and 2027 when it confirmed the type in March 2026, with São Paulo Guarulhos and Rio de Janeiro Galeão as the first wide-body bases in the crew agreements its pilots and cabin crew approved (Air Data News, 6 March 2026); in September 2026 Melhores Destinos reported the five as due during 2027. Meanwhile a first A330neo of GOL’s parent, the Abra group, fitted out for Avianca and due to stay with GOL until January 2027 before passing to Avianca, was to reach Brazil in September 2026 to begin the certification of GOL’s A330neo long-haul operation and the training of its crews, with domestic flights planned from Galeão to Salvador and Belém (Melhores Destinos, 8 September 2026). The A330-900 Captain selection of March to May 2026 was for this flying; we found no A330 co-pilot selection.

How to prepare

GOL’s narrow-body fleet is all Boeing 737, the 737-800 and the MAX 8, so the B737 bank below is your type preparation, with the B737 interview set for a technical interview and the CRM interview set for the crew questions; the Library’s Boeing 737 NG and 737 MAX differences covers the two models side by side. For the A330-900 Captain route, the A330 bank covers the type. The PLA theory GOL asks for 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. GOL publishes no selection stages in what we could read. Before the next selection opens, put the paperwork in order: 500 hours on fixed-wing aircraft entered in ANAC’s electronic logbook (the CIV Digital), your IFR and multi-engine ratings valid, your first-class medical and your English certificate current, and your passport ready. The 2026 selection, as reported, also listed what counts in your favor: a degree, aeronautical sciences preferred, airline experience under RBAC 121, turboprop or jet time, an instructor rating and a Jet Training course.

GOL has no interview guide on v1prep yet, so for the selection read the complete airline pilot interview guide and the Library’s technical questions in airline interviews and airline pilot recruitment and selection; for the Captain route, command upgrade covers selection for command. Brazil’s other large airlines are on Azul pilot requirements and LATAM pilot requirements, the region’s on pilot jobs in Latin America, and the other 737 employers on Boeing 737 pilot jobs. Check GOL’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.

What we could not confirm

• Researched on 14 November 2026: GOL’s careers page (golcarreiras.gupy.io) was read directly that day in a GitHub runner’s download (119 vacancies, its first page of ten all ground roles, the words “Comandante A330” and its talent-bank invitation); the co-pilot and A330 Captain selections and the A330 flying are from search-engine results and press reports. Confirm the vacancy is still open before you apply.
• When the next dated co-pilot selection opens: none had surfaced by 14 November 2026
• Whether the A330 Captain selection is still open: it was reported to close on 31 May 2026, but “Comandante A330” still appeared on GOL’s careers page on 14 November 2026
• Whether co-pilot applicants need a US B1/B2 visa: one press report of the January 2026 selection lists a passport and a US B1/B2 visa valid for more than six months
• When GOL’s own pilots take over the A330 flying: its first long-haul routes were reported as flown by Wamos Air’s A330s and crews in 2026, and the training of GOL’s crews was to begin on an A330neo from September 2026

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 GOL hiring pilots? Not through an open selection at the last check, on 14 November 2026: GOL’s latest co-pilot selection, for its Guarulhos base, took applications from 9 January to 31 May 2026, as the Brazilian press reported it, and no later pilot selection had surfaced. GOL’s careers page, read that day, invited applicants to join its talent bank and still showed the words “Comandante A330” (A330 Captain), while the first ten of its 119 vacancies, all we could read, were ground roles. Check the page before you apply.

How many hours do you need to fly for GOL? GOL’s 2026 co-pilot selection asked for at least 500 hours on fixed-wing aircraft, proven in ANAC’s electronic logbook (the CIV), as Brasilturis reported it on 19 January 2026. Its A330-900 Captain selection of March to May 2026 counted experience in years rather than hours: more than five years in the role and on the aircraft, with wide-body long-haul experience, as Mercado & Eventos reported it.

Do you need a Boeing 737 type rating to fly for GOL? No. GOL’s 2026 co-pilot selection, as reported, asked for a commercial pilot license with valid IFR and multi-engine ratings and the PLA theory course, and listed a 737 rating only among the things that count in your favor. Who provides and pays for the type rating was not in what we could read. The A330-900 Captain selection did ask for an A330 type rating.

Can foreign pilots fly for GOL? GOL’s 2026 co-pilot selection asked for an ANAC commercial license and a valid passport, as reported, and its A330-900 Captain selection for a valid Brazilian passport and US B1, B2 and D visas. We found no GOL vacancy that sponsors a work visa, so ask GOL before you apply from abroad.

Does GOL hire direct-entry Captains? For its A330-900s it did in 2026: from 20 March to 31 May 2026 GOL sought A330 Captains with an airline transport pilot license, an A330 type rating, more than five years in the role and on the aircraft and wide-body long-haul experience, as Mercado & Eventos reported it. Whether that selection is still open is unconfirmed: it was reported to close on 31 May 2026, but “Comandante A330” still appeared on GOL’s careers page on 14 November 2026. We found no direct-entry Captain route on the 737.