Qantas Pilot Interview Prep: Stages, Sim, Questions (2026 Guide)

LAST UPDATED: 12 OCTOBER 2026

The Qantas Group does not recruit pilots as one airline. Each flying operator publishes its own minimums: QantasLink takes Direct Entry First Officers from 500 hours, National Jet Systems (the QantasLink A220s) and Network Aviation in Western Australia also start at 500 hours with conditions of their own, and Qantas mainline publishes a Direct Entry Second Officer route on command-time minimums. The careers site sets out one selection sequence: online aptitude testing, an assessment centre with an interview and a flight simulator test, then endorsement by Pilot Leadership. This guide covers each route, each step and how to prepare.

Note for pilots from outside Australia: every published list asks for a CASA licence with all the Australian ATPL theory subjects and English Level 6 on it, and no operator in the Group publishes visa sponsorship for pilots. A pilot with a foreign licence and thousands of hours does not meet the lists until the CASA paperwork is done.

About the Qantas Group

For a pilot, the Group is a set of operators with fleets of their own. QantasLink flies Dash 8 turboprops, and the A220-300 operated in QantasLink colours by National Jet Systems; the Boeing 717s were retired towards the end of 2024 and their pilots retrained on the A220. Network Aviation in Western Australia flies the A320 family and the Fokker 100, which up to 14 Embraer E190s are replacing: the first arrived in Perth on 7 September 2026, in-house E190 services are planned from early 2027, and four A320s from the closed Jetstar Asia were moved to Network Aviation to bring the Fokker retirement forward. Qantas mainline flies the 737-800, A321XLR, A330, 787 and A380, and the first A350-1000 for Project Sunrise was due in late 2026, with the flights deferred to 2027.

The Group’s pilot bases are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Cairns and Darwin; check the vacancy you apply for to see which base, operator and type it is for.

Mainline is filled mostly from inside. Qantas mainline pilots are largely sourced from the QantasLink and Network Aviation flow and from the Qantas Group Pilot Academy in Toowoomba, the Group’s ab-initio route. At the last check QantasLink was recruiting Direct Entry First Officers and Jetstar was not, and a search-engine copy of the Qantas mainline careers page seen on 5 October 2026 said it was not accepting pilot applications. No operator in the Group publishes a direct-entry Captain route.

Entry routes and minimums

On top of the hours, the lists above all ask for a CASA ATPL, or a CASA CPL with passes in all the Australian ATPL theory subjects, an Australian multi-engine instrument rating with 2D and 3D instrument-approach endorsements (2D for approaches without vertical guidance, 3D for approaches with it), ICAO English Language Proficiency Level 6 on the licence and a current CASA Class 1. QantasLink also asks that you can hold an Aviation Security Identification Card and pass drug and alcohol testing, with a passport valid for 12 months and unrestricted access to all Qantas destinations; Second Officers need a current multi-engine instrument proficiency check. The type rating is provided, and whether it is bonded on any route is not confirmed. Jetconnect, Jetstar and Qantas Freight (Express Freighters Australia) publish minimum-requirement lists of their own on careers.qantas.com.

What sets the Qantas Group apart for a pilot

• Low hours, strict credentials. The hours bar is low by North American standards, but the licence has to be Australian, with every ATPL theory subject passed, and English Level 6 has to be on it.
• Right to work, no sponsorship. QantasLink accepts Australian citizens or anyone with the right to work in Australia or New Zealand without restriction or sponsorship; the Second Officer list is stricter, asking for Australian citizenship or permanent residency.
• An operator, not just an airline. A new First Officer’s aircraft depends on the operator: the Dash 8 at QantasLink, the A220 at National Jet Systems, the A320 family at Network Aviation, where a First Officer starting in 2027 may well begin on the E190 rather than the Fokker 100.
• A flow to mainline. Mainline pilots are largely sourced from the QantasLink and Network Aviation flow and the Pilot Academy.
• Endorsement, not just a pass. After the assessment centre, your profile and results go to Pilot Leadership for endorsement before the pre-employment checks begin.
• Security clearance. QantasLink asks that you can hold an Aviation Security Identification Card. Gaps in your address or employment history slow the clearance down, so have the dates ready.

The selection stages

The fourth step is the one to notice: passing the assessment centre is not yet an offer. And the invitation that follows the aptitude tests is to an interview and a simulator test together, so prepare both at once rather than treating the simulator as a later hurdle. We found no published detail of the aptitude tests, the interview format or the simulator profile, and no confirmed candidate reports of them, so the preparation below rests on how airline selection generally works (see the Library on airline pilot recruitment and selection).

The simulator test

The careers site lists a flight simulator test at the assessment centre; we found no published type or profile. Where airlines use a simulator evaluation, it usually lasts 30 to 60 minutes in a fixed-base or full flight simulator of a jet or a generic transport, flown as a crew with another candidate or a company pilot, and it is scored on instrument scan, procedural discipline, callouts and briefings, crew cooperation and how you cope with an unfamiliar aircraft.

A typical profile to practise

• A take-off, briefed as an airline crew would brief it
• Steep turns, and climbs, descents and turns at set speeds
• A holding entry
• An ILS to minimums, with a missed approach
• Possibly a non-precision approach or an engine failure

Ask for the pitch attitudes and power settings before you start, then fly them. If most of your hours are single-pilot, practise working as a crew before the day: briefing, calling and monitoring out loud, with a friend in the other seat of a home simulator if that is all you have. Both kinds of approach on your instrument rating, 2D and 3D, are worth having current.

The interview

We found no published interview format, so expect what airline competency interviews generally use: behavioural questions that ask for a real past event, answered in the STAR structure (situation, task, action, result). Keep each story short and true, show ownership rather than blame, prepare eight to ten stories, and raise anything difficult in your record yourself. If you do not know a technical answer, say so, then explain what you do know and where you would look it up.

Questions particular to the Qantas Group

• Why this operator? QantasLink, National Jet Systems and Network Aviation fly different aircraft: know which one you are applying to, what it flies and why it suits you.
• Turboprop or jet? QantasLink’s Direct Entry First Officer list sits against the Dash 8. Be ready to say why regional turboprop flying is the job you want, not a waiting room.
• Mainline ambitions. Mainline pilots are largely sourced from the Group’s own operators and its Pilot Academy. Ambition is fine; make clear you want the job you are applying for.
• Recency and the wait. QantasLink’s list prefers 50 hours in the previous 12 months, and passing the assessment centre is not an offer: how are you keeping current?
• Security and conduct. The Aviation Security Identification Card, criminal and security clearances, and drug and alcohol testing: answer questions about your history plainly.

Technical questions

With entry points at 500 hours and every list asking for all the Australian ATPL theory subjects, ATPL theory is the core of the technical preparation, alongside the systems of the type you fly now. The careers site puts online aptitude testing before any interview, so start timed reasoning practice early rather than after the invitation arrives.

Questions to practise

1. V1, VR and V2: what each means, and what V1 commits you to (see takeoff speeds)
2. 2D and 3D approaches: what the minima are based on, and what changes when you lose vertical guidance (see instrument approach procedures)
3. An engine failure after take-off in a twin: the actions, the speeds and the clean-up (see engine failure and engine fire)
4. Decode a METAR and a TAF, and decide whether you need an alternate (drill it with our ATPL meteorology questions)
5. The threats you would brief for a short regional sector, and how you would manage them (see threat and error management)

What v1prep has for the Group’s fleets

Where Qantas candidates go wrong

1. Applying without Australian credentials. Every list asks for a CASA licence with all the ATPL theory subjects and English Level 6 on it; thousands of foreign hours do not replace them.
2. Assuming sponsorship. No operator in the Group publishes visa sponsorship for pilots.
3. Leaving the aptitude tests until the invitation. They come before any interview, and timed practice takes weeks to pay off.
4. Treating the simulator as a later hurdle. It comes with the interview at the assessment centre.
5. Letting recency lapse after the assessment. Endorsement and pre-employment checks come after the assessment centre, and QantasLink’s list prefers 50 hours in the previous 12 months.
6. Gaps in your history. Unexplained gaps in your address or employment history slow the security clearance.

From application to a course

The careers site gives the order of the steps; we found no published timings:

We found no published waiting times. Keep flying while you wait, keep your licence documents and clearance paperwork ready, and keep the theory current.

Qantas pilot recruitment: common questions

The hours, licence, citizenship and right-to-work rules for each operator are on our Qantas Group pilot requirements page; the questions below are about the selection itself.

What is the Qantas pilot selection process?

The careers site sets out the steps: an application with your CV, current hours, licence and type rating; online aptitude testing if you meet the criteria; an assessment centre with an interview and a flight simulator test; a review of your profile and results by Pilot Leadership; then pre-employment checks, including background, criminal and security clearances and a medical.

What does the Qantas Group interview ask?

We found no published format, so expect competency questions about real past events, answered in the STAR structure, and questions particular to the Group: why the operator you applied to, since QantasLink, National Jet Systems and Network Aviation fly different aircraft; why regional turboprop flying if you applied to QantasLink; your mainline ambitions; how you are keeping current while you wait; and your history, for the security clearances.

What technical questions should I prepare for Qantas?

ATPL theory first, since every list asks for all the Australian ATPL theory subjects, then the systems of the type you fly now. Practise V1, VR and V2, 2D and 3D approaches and what changes when you lose vertical guidance, an engine failure after take-off in a twin, a METAR and TAF with the decision on an alternate, and the threats you would brief for a short regional sector.

What is the Qantas simulator test like?

The careers site lists a flight simulator test at the assessment centre, but we found no published type or profile. Prepare for what airline simulator evaluations generally contain: a take-off, steep turns, a holding entry, an ILS to minimums with a missed approach, and sometimes a non-precision approach or an engine failure, flown as a crew and scored on scan, procedures, callouts and crew cooperation.

Does the Qantas Group hire direct entry Captains?

No operator in the Group publishes a direct-entry Captain route. The direct-entry seats covered here are First Officer at QantasLink, National Jet Systems and Network Aviation, and Second Officer at Qantas mainline; Jetconnect, Jetstar and Qantas Freight publish minimum-requirement lists of their own.