SAS Pilot Requirements 2026: Hours, Licence and Hiring Process
SAS was recruiting both seats when its careers portal was read on 25 August 2026, with five pilot vacancies live: Experienced First Officer for the Scandinavian bases, A320neo First Officer and A320neo Captain at London Heathrow, and Direct Entry Captain on the A320 in Copenhagen and on the E195, rated or not, at all bases. SAS flies under three air operator certificates, SAS, SAS Connect and SAS Link, so the requirements change with the advert. The Experienced First Officer route asks for an EASA CPL(A) or MPL and 400 hours on CS-25 or FAR-25 aircraft, not 400 hours total, with MCC, a Class 1 and ICAO English Level 5 or 6; Captains need an unrestricted EASA ATPL(A) and 3,000 to 4,000 hours, depending on the route. SAS pays for the type rating, with a three-year bond for Captains. The Scandinavian bases need the unrestricted right to live and work in the EU, Heathrow the right to live and work in the UK, and the adverts offer no visa sponsorship.
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.
Is SAS hiring pilots now?
Recruiting at the last check on 12 October 2026 — First Officer seat: Recruiting; Captain seat: Recruiting. FO minimum is 400 h on CS/FAR-25 aircraft, not 400 h total - not a low-hours route
What we found at the last check: SAS had five pilot vacancies open on 25 August 2026: Experienced First Officer at its Scandinavian bases, A320neo First Officer and Captain at London Heathrow, and Direct Entry Captain on the A320 in Copenhagen and on the E195 at all bases. The adverts point to courses in late 2026 and early 2027. The E195 Direct Entry Captain posting was still on SAS’s careers site on 12 October 2026.
How we checked
Five pilot vacancies were live on SAS's own careers portal when checked on 2026-08-25: Experienced First Officer (Scandinavian bases), A320neo First Officer (London Heathrow), Direct Entry Captain A320 (Copenhagen), Direct Entry Captain E195 TR/NTR (all bases), and A320neo Captain (London Heathrow). SAS does not print posting or closing dates on its job pages, but the postings themselves are internally dated: the Experienced FO ad states 'First courses are planned for the Fall 2026', the Heathrow A320neo FO ad offers assessment dates 'available from August' through September with courses 'planned late 2026 and early 2027', and the DEC A320 ad states assessment invitations during summer/fall 2026 with employment beginning fall 2026/spring 2027. Re-checked in search results on 12 October 2026: the Direct Entry Captain E195 (type-rated or not, all bases) posting was still on SAS’s own careers site, which ties it to up to 55 E195-E2s joining the fleet from 2027, and job boards relayed the A320 Direct Entry Captain and experienced First Officer postings. Not re-read on the portal.
Requirements, as published
| Requirement | As published by the airline |
|---|---|
| Licence | Varies by role. Experienced First Officer: valid EASA CPL(A) or MPL (the First Officer team page lists 'EASA Airline Transport Pilot Licence (A), Commercial Pilot Licence (A), or Multi-Crew Pilot License'). Direct Entry Captain (A320 and E195): unrestricted EASA ATPL(A) with valid Instrument Rating. London Heathrow A320neo FO: 'EASA CPL with ATPL subjects'. On licence origin, the only wording confirmed on SAS's own pages is 'Non-Scandinavian EASA licenses are accepted but must be converted before course start.' There is no published preference for licences issued by Denmark, Sweden or Norway - a non-Scandinavian EASA licence is not a disadvantage at application. |
| Minimum hours | Experienced First Officer: '400 Hours or more on CS/FAR 25' (note: this is 400 hours on CS-25/FAR-25 certified aircraft, NOT 400 hours total time). Direct Entry Captain A320: '4,000+ hours Total Time', '2,000+ hours on jet aircraft or high-speed turboprops', '1,000+ hours PIC on aircraft with MTOW above 55.0T'. Direct Entry Captain E195: three alternative routes - 4,000 TT incl. 250 PIC/PICUS, OR 3,500 TT incl. 500 PIC on MTOW >16T, OR 3,000 TT incl. 1,000 PIC on MTOW >16T. London Heathrow A320neo First Officer: Not published. London Heathrow A320neo Captain: Not published - this vacancy exists on SAS's portal but its ad was not retrieved, so do not assume the Copenhagen DEC A320 figures apply to it. |
| Hours on type | Not published for any role. The Heathrow A320neo FO ad lists a 'Valid A320 type rating (preferable)' but attaches no hours-on-type figure. The E195 Captain role explicitly accepts non-type-rated candidates. |
| Type rating | First Officer: provided - the SAS First Officer and Captain team pages both state 'Type rating paid for by SAS'. The Experienced First Officer job ad itself contains no bonding clause. Direct Entry Captain (both A320 and E195): 'Fully funded type-rating with a 3-year bond'. |
| Right to work | Scandinavian bases: 'Unrestricted right to live and work in the EU'. London Heathrow: 'Unrestricted Right to Live and Work in UK'. SAS does not offer visa sponsorship in these ads. |
| Medical | Valid EASA Class 1 Medical Certificate (the Heathrow ad words it 'EASA Class One medical'). |
| English | ICAO English Language Proficiency Level 5 or 6. The Heathrow A320neo FO ad states 'ICAO Level 5 English Language Proficiency'. Note some third-party sites claim Level 4 is sufficient - SAS's own pages consistently say 5 or 6. |
| Age | Not published. No minimum or maximum age appears on any SAS pilot page or job posting reviewed. |
| Also | The single most misread figure here is the First Officer hours requirement. SAS asks for '400 Hours or more on CS/FAR 25' - that is 400 hours on large certified transport aircraft, which is a far higher bar than the '400 hours total time' several job boards report, and it effectively excludes fresh CPL/MPL holders from the Experienced FO route. Requirements differ substantially by role and by base, so there is no single set of SAS minimums. The Heathrow roles sit under UK right-to-work rules, not EU. Type rating funding is genuinely free for First Officers as published, but Captains carry an explicit 3-year bond. SAS operates under three AOCs (SAS Link, SAS Connect, SAS SK), which is why terms and bases vary between ads. |
What SAS asks for, route by route
SAS publishes no single set of minimums: each advert carries its own, and the base in the advert decides which right-to-work rule applies. As read on 25 August 2026:
| Route | Licence and hours | Type rating | Also asked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experienced First Officer, A320 and E195, Scandinavian bases | EASA CPL(A) or MPL; 400 h on CS-25 or FAR-25 aircraft | Paid for by SAS | MCC (and Advanced UPRT on SAS’s team pages); EU right to live and work |
| A320neo First Officer, London Heathrow | EASA CPL with ATPL subjects; no hours figure published | A320 rating “preferable” | ICAO English Level 5; UK right to live and work; no incidents or accidents |
| Direct Entry Captain A320, Copenhagen | Unrestricted EASA ATPL(A) with IR; 4,000 h total, 2,000 h on jets or high-speed turboprops, 1,000 h PIC on aircraft above 55 t | Fully funded, 3-year bond | Experience with winter operations |
| Direct Entry Captain E195, all bases, rated or not | Unrestricted EASA ATPL(A) with IR; 4,000 h total with 250 h PIC or PICUS, or 3,500 h with 500 h PIC above 16 t, or 3,000 h with 1,000 h PIC above 16 t | Fully funded, 3-year bond | EU right to live and work |
| A320neo Captain, London Heathrow | Listed on SAS’s portal, but the advert itself could not be read: do not assume the Copenhagen figures apply | ||
Three lines catch applicants. The 400 hours are on large transport aeroplanes certified to CS-25 or FAR-25, so a new CPL or MPL holder does not meet them, whatever job boards say. A non-Scandinavian EASA licence is accepted, with no published preference for licences from Denmark, Sweden or Norway, but it must be converted before the course starts. And the English requirement on SAS’s own pages is Level 5 or 6, not the Level 4 that some third-party sites quote.
Entry routes
- Direct entry First Officer (non-type-rated) - 'Experienced First Officer', A320 and E195, Scandinavian bases
- Type-rated First Officer - A320neo at London Heathrow (A320 type rating 'preferable', not mandatory)
- Direct entry Captain - A320, Copenhagen
- Direct entry Captain - E195, type-rated and non-type-rated both accepted, all bases
- Direct entry Captain - A320neo, London Heathrow
- Cadet / ab-initio - Cadet First Officer exists as a route but the posting currently shows 'this position has been filled'; not open when checked
SAS and the other Nordic airlines
The other Nordic airlines on our jobs board, as recorded at each airline’s last check:
| Airline | Published minimum | Right to work and language | Status at last check |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAS | 400 h CS/FAR-25 (FO) · 3,000 h (Capt) | EU · UK Heathrow · no sponsorship | Recruiting (12 October 2026) |
| Norwegian | 500 h on B737 if rated · 1,500 h if not | EU/EEC · unrestricted passport | Unconfirmed (21 September 2026) |
| Widerøe | Not published | EEA · Scandinavian language | Unconfirmed (21 September 2026) |
| Finnair | Not published | EU · Finnish fluent | Unconfirmed (21 September 2026) |
| Icelandair | Not published | EEA | Unconfirmed (13 October 2026) |
The SAS adverts read on 25 August 2026 ask for English and the right to work, not a Scandinavian language. SAS’s Cadet First Officer posting showed as filled that day, so only the experienced routes were open.
Selection process
- CV / application screening
- Online or video interview with a recruiter
- Online tests - cognitive and personality assessments
- Assessment day - group exercise, simulator session, and personal interview
- Final checks - background screening, security interview, right-to-work verification, and drug & alcohol testing
Bases and fleet
Bases: Copenhagen · Stockholm Arlanda · Oslo · Bergen · London Heathrow
Fleet: Airbus A320 family (incl. A320neo) · Embraer E195 · Airbus A330 · Airbus A350 · Orders: 45 Embraer E195-E2 with purchase rights for 10 more (July 2025; deliveries from late 2027), and 18 Airbus A330-900 signed on 30 June 2026 as part of an investment in up to 40 wide-bodies that adds more A330-300s
How to prepare
An Experienced First Officer may be placed on the A320 or the E195, the Heathrow routes are A320neo, and each Captain route is tied to one fleet, so start from the fleet in your advert: the A320 bank for the A320 family, the E-Jet bank for the E195, and the ATPL theory banks for everything else. Winter operations are fair game, since the Copenhagen A320 Captain advert asks for winter experience outright: know de-icing and anti-icing, contaminated-runway performance and cold-temperature corrections. SAS publishes its process, CV screening, a recruiter interview online or on video, online cognitive and personality tests, then an assessment day with a group exercise, a simulator session and a personal interview, so practise timed reasoning tests before the online stage.
Our SAS pilot interview guide goes through each published step, the simulator for pilots moving between the Airbus and the Embraer, and the questions a panel asks about SAS today. For the winter questions, the Library covers ground de-icing and anti-icing and wet and contaminated runways, and we explain cold weather altimetry. Check SAS’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.
What we could not confirm
- Age limits - no minimum or maximum age is published on any SAS pilot page or vacancy reviewed. Do not infer one.
- Cadet / ab-initio entry - the Cadet First Officer posting (careers.sasgroup.net/job/Kastrup-CADET-FIRST-OFFICER/1288108301/) now returns 'Sorry, this position has been filled', so current cadet entry requirements, costs, bonding and selection criteria could not be confirmed. Treat any cadet figures found on job boards as stale.
- Hours on type - not published for any role.
- Minimum total hours for the London Heathrow A320neo First Officer role - not published.
- Whether the First Officer type rating carries a bond. SAS's team pages say the type rating is paid for by SAS and the Experienced FO ad contains no bonding sentence, but the Captain ads state an explicit 3-year bond, so FO bond terms are not confirmed either way.
- Posting and closing dates - SAS's careers portal does not display them, so 'currently open' is a point-in-time observation from 2026-08-25 rather than a dated announcement from SAS.
- Contract terms and salary - the First Officer team page indicates pay is banded by experience ('under 1500 hrs' vs 'over 1500 hrs'), but no actual salary figures were confirmed on SAS's own pages. Note the 1500-hour figure is a pay band, NOT an entry requirement.
- London Heathrow A320neo Captain - this vacancy is listed on SAS's own portal, but its job ad was not retrieved, so its hours, licence and bonding terms are entirely unconfirmed.
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 SAS hiring pilots? Yes, at the last check. On 25 August 2026 SAS’s own careers portal carried five pilot vacancies: Experienced First Officer for the Scandinavian bases, A320neo First Officer at London Heathrow, Direct Entry Captain on the A320 in Copenhagen, Direct Entry Captain on the E195 at all bases, and A320neo Captain at Heathrow. SAS prints no closing dates, so check the portal before you apply.
How many hours do you need to fly for SAS? For the Experienced First Officer route, 400 hours on CS-25 or FAR-25 aircraft, which means large transport aeroplanes, not total time, with an EASA CPL(A) or MPL. The Copenhagen A320 Captain route asks for 4,000 hours total, 2,000 on jets or high-speed turboprops and 1,000 PIC on aircraft above 55 tonnes; the E195 Captain route accepts 4,000 hours with 250 PIC or PICUS, 3,500 with 500 PIC above 16 tonnes, or 3,000 with 1,000 PIC above 16 tonnes. The Heathrow First Officer advert publishes no hours figure.
Does SAS pay for the type rating? SAS’s First Officer and Captain pages say the type rating is paid for by SAS. The Captain adverts describe it as fully funded with a three-year bond; the Experienced First Officer advert contains no bonding clause, and SAS’s First Officer bond terms are not confirmed either way.
What English level does SAS require? ICAO English Language Proficiency Level 5 or 6, as SAS’s own pages consistently say; the Heathrow A320neo First Officer advert states Level 5. Some third-party sites say Level 4 is enough, which is not what SAS publishes.
What is the SAS pilot selection process? CV and application screening, an online or video interview with a recruiter, online cognitive and personality tests, an assessment day with a group exercise, a simulator session and a personal interview, then final checks: background screening, a security interview, right-to-work verification and drug and alcohol testing, in the city where you will be based. Approved First Officers may wait in a holding pool for a course, and unsuccessful candidates may reapply after 12 months.
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