Airline Pilot Jobs in Latin America 2026: 8 Airlines, 3 Recruiting Now

Latin America is a national market with one big employer in each country. Brazil is the largest: Azul plans 446 pilot hires by the end of 2026 across its Embraer, ATR and Azul Conecta turboprop fleets, and GOL runs an external co-pilot talent bank from 500 hours — both on an ANAC licence with a Brazilian passport, a Brazilian Class 1 and a US visa. LATAM hires through each affiliate (Chile, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay) on the local licence, with LATAM Brazil at 1,000 hours with a degree or 1,500 without; Copa’s relayed 737 MAX First Officer posting starts at 1,000 hours with ICAO English 5; Avianca and Volaris publish requirements without a confirmable vacancy. In Mexico, Viva Aerobus was taking rated A320-family First Officers with 500 hours on type, a Mexican licence and passport and a US visa; in the Dominican Republic, Arajet was taking 737 MAX First Officers from 1,000 hours (1,500 for foreign pilots) and Captains from 5,000. Of the 8 Latin American airlines on our board, 3 were recruiting, 4 taking First Officers and 2 taking Captains.

Without the local licence and the right to work, a foreign pilot has very few doors here: Arajet is the exception, publishing a separate 1,500-hour First Officer minimum for foreign pilots and accepting ICAO, FAA or EASA licences, though it does not state its visa terms; no airline on our board says it sponsors a visa for a First Officer, Spanish or Portuguese is expected everywhere, and command is internal at every airline except Arajet and Azul Conecta’s Caravan, PC-12 and SkyCourier fleets. The upside for locals is speed — Copa and Azul both promote quickly, and Brazil’s 500-hour entry points are among the lowest in the world for a jet or regional seat.

Who is hiring now (3 of 8)

First Officer routes (4)

Airlines in Latin America taking First Officer applications or holding a First Officer pool at the last check.

• Arajet Recruiting
  737 MAX First Officers from 1,000 h (Dominican pilots) or 1,500 h (foreign pilots); Captains from 5,000 h with 1,500 h in command — careers page
• Azul Linhas Aéreas Recruiting
  446 pilot hires planned by end-2026: co-pilots for E1/E2 and ATR at Azul, Captains and co-pilots for Caravan, PC-12 and SkyCourier at Azul Conecta; Brazilian passport and US visa — careers page
• Viva Aerobus Recruiting
  Rated A320-family First Officers with 500 h on type; Mexican licence and passport plus a valid US visa — careers page
• GOL Linhas Aéreas Talent pool
  External co-pilot talent bank (Guarulhos): 500 h, ANAC CPL with IFR, multi-engine, PLA theory, ICAO 4, passport; the 2026 window ran 9 January to 31 May — careers page

Captain routes (2)

Airlines in Latin America taking Captains from outside. See the direct entry Captain page for the published minimums side by side.

• Arajet Recruiting
  737 MAX First Officers from 1,000 h (Dominican pilots) or 1,500 h (foreign pilots); Captains from 5,000 h with 1,500 h in command — careers page
• Azul Linhas Aéreas Recruiting
  446 pilot hires planned by end-2026: co-pilots for E1/E2 and ATR at Azul, Captains and co-pilots for Caravan, PC-12 and SkyCourier at Azul Conecta; Brazilian passport and US visa — careers page

Cadet and pathway routes (2)

Routes that start before a licence, as each airline describes them. The cadet programmes page explains who pays and who is eligible.

• Copa Airlines
  Copa cadet / academy routes (Panamanian nationals)
• LATAM Airlines Group
  Pilot Cadet programmes — periodic

Requirements in Latin America: what to expect

• Licence: ANAC CPL with IFR and multi-engine or type rating plus ATPL theory (PLA teórico) in Brazil; the national CPL/IR or ATPL of each LATAM affiliate; Aerocivil in Colombia; AFAC in Mexico (a commercial or TPI licence with A320-family SIC capability at Viva Aerobus); a commercial licence with single-engine, multi-engine and instrument ratings at Copa; an ICAO CPL, FAA or EASA licence for First Officers at Arajet (ATPL for Captains).
• Hours: GOL 500 in the electronic logbook; Azul assessed case by case by its recruitment committee; LATAM Brazil 1,000 with a degree or 1,500 without; Copa 1,000; Volaris 1,500 rated; Viva Aerobus 500 on the A320 family; Arajet 1,000 for Dominican pilots, 1,500 for foreign pilots and 5,000 for Captains.
• Type rating: provided at Azul, GOL, LATAM and Copa; a 737 rating is a differentiator at GOL, an A320 rating on Volaris’ relayed posting; Viva Aerobus’s posting requires the A320-family rating.
• Right to work: Brazilian passport and US B1/B2 visa at Azul and GOL; Mexican passport and US visa at Viva Aerobus; right to work in the affiliate country elsewhere.
• Medical and English: ANAC CMA Class 1 or the national Class 1; ICAO English 4 in Brazil and Colombia and at Arajet, 5 at Copa; RTARI 4 at Viva Aerobus.
• Extras: jet training or multi-crew (RBAC 121/135) experience listed at Azul; a degree, airline experience, instructor rating and Jet Training are differentiators at GOL.

Every airline in Latin America (8)

• Arajet Recruiting
  737 MAX First Officers from 1,000 h (Dominican pilots) or 1,500 h (foreign pilots); Captains from 5,000 h with 1,500 h in command
  Licence: ICAO CPL / FAA / EASA · Capt ATPL · Hours: 1,000 h (DR) / 1,500 h (foreign) · Capt 5,000 h · Type rating: Not published · Right to work: Dominican and foreign pilots — careers page
• Azul Linhas Aéreas Recruiting
  446 pilot hires planned by end-2026: co-pilots for E1/E2 and ATR at Azul, Captains and co-pilots for Caravan, PC-12 and SkyCourier at Azul Conecta; Brazilian passport and US visa
  Licence: ANAC CPL/IFR · PLA teórico · Hours: Assessed · no fixed minimum · Type rating: Provided · Right to work: Brazilian passport · US visa — careers page
• Viva Aerobus Recruiting
  Rated A320-family First Officers with 500 h on type; Mexican licence and passport plus a valid US visa
  Licence: Mexican CPL/TPI · A320 SIC · Hours: 500 h on A320 family · Type rating: Required · Right to work: Mexican passport + US visa — careers page
• GOL Linhas Aéreas Talent pool
  External co-pilot talent bank (Guarulhos): 500 h, ANAC CPL with IFR, multi-engine, PLA theory, ICAO 4, passport; the 2026 window ran 9 January to 31 May
  Licence: ANAC CPL/IFR · PLA theory · Hours: 500 h · Type rating: Not required · Right to work: Brazil · passport — careers page
• Avianca Unconfirmed
  Pilots category on Avianca’s own jobs portal; a “fast track” First Officer stream for 4,000 h+ / 2,000 h on type is described by industry sources
  Licence: Aerocivil CPL/IR or ATPL · Hours: Not published · Type rating: Provided · Right to work: Colombia — careers page
• Copa Airlines Unconfirmed
  Non-rated B737 MAX First Officers from 1,000 h with a CPL ME/IR and ICAO English 5 relayed by job boards; fast internal upgrades
  Licence: CPL ME/IR · Hours: 1,000 h · Type rating: Not required · provided · Right to work: Panama · ELP 5 — careers page
• LATAM Airlines Group Unconfirmed
  Captain, First Officer and Cadet categories on LATAM’s own recruitment page; LATAM Brazil publishes 1,000 h (with degree) or 1,500 h and a Brazilian licence
  Licence: National CPL/IR or ATPL · Hours: 1,000–1,500 h (Brazil) · Type rating: Provided · Right to work: Per affiliate — careers page
• Volaris Unconfirmed
  Rated A320-family First Officers from 1,500 h with a CPL relayed by job boards; command in roughly five to eight years
  Licence: AFAC CPL/IR or ATPL · Hours: 1,500 h · Type rating: A320 rated / non-rated · Right to work: Mexico — careers page

Common questions

Which Latin American airlines are hiring pilots? Azul was recruiting co-pilots for its E1, E2 and ATR fleets and Captains and co-pilots for Azul Conecta, with 446 hires planned by the end of 2026. GOL’s 2026 external co-pilot window ran from 9 January to 31 May and its talent bank stays open. Viva Aerobus had a rated A320-family First Officer posting and Arajet First Officer and Captain postings on their own portals. LATAM, Copa, Avianca and Volaris publish requirements but no vacancy we could confirm.

What are the requirements to be a pilot in Brazil? An ANAC CPL with a valid IFR rating, a multi-engine or type rating, ATPL theory (PLA teórico), a Brazilian Class 1 medical, ICAO English 4 or higher, a Brazilian passport and a valid US visa; GOL asks 500 logged hours, Azul assesses hours case by case.

Can a foreigner fly for LATAM, Azul or Copa? Only with the local licence and the right to work: Azul and GOL require a Brazilian passport, LATAM hires by affiliate on the national licence, and Copa needs a Panamanian work permit. None of them sponsors visas for First Officers.

How many hours does Copa Airlines require? 1,000 hours as a pilot with a commercial licence carrying single-engine, multi-engine and instrument ratings, and ICAO English 5, for the non-type-rated 737 MAX First Officer posting relayed by job boards. Copa’s own careers site could not be read directly.

Which Latin American airline hires direct entry Captains? Azul Conecta, for its Cessna Caravan, Pilatus PC-12 and Cessna SkyCourier fleets, and Arajet, for its 737 MAX (5,000 hours with 1,500 in command on aircraft above 45 tonnes). Azul mainline, GOL, LATAM, Copa, Avianca and Volaris fill command internally.