Virgin Atlantic Pilot Requirements 2026: Hours, Licence and Hiring Process

At the last check, on 21 September 2026, Virgin Atlantic’s own careers site was advertising a First Officer and Senior First Officer posting for Airbus pilots, which we saw in search results and on UK pilot job boards rather than on the portal itself. It is a rated route: 1,500 hours on multi-pilot turbojets or turboprops of at least 10 tonnes MTOM or with more than 19 seats, current and qualified on the A320, A330, A340, A350 or A380, and a UK CAA ATPL, frozen ATPL or MPL carrying that Airbus rating. The other conditions are ICAO English Level 6, certified at application, a UK CAA Class 1 and the right to live and work in the UK. Military pilots from named RAF types have a route of their own, and no direct-entry Captain route is offered. The bases are London Heathrow and Manchester, and the fleet is the A330-300 and A330-900neo, the A350-1000 and the 787-9.

Is Virgin Atlantic hiring pilots now?

Recruiting at the last check on 21 September 2026 — First Officer seat: Recruiting; Captain seat: Not offered. First Officer & Senior First Officer – Airbus posting: 1,500 h on multi-pilot 10 t+ aircraft, current on A320/A330/A340/A350/A380, ICAO English 6

Requirements, as published

Reading the requirements line by line

• 1,500 hours, counted by aircraft. The hours must be on multi-pilot aircraft, turbojet or turboprop, of at least 10 tonnes maximum take-off mass or with more than 19 seats. Time on single-pilot or light aircraft does not count towards the figure, however much of it you have; time on a multi-pilot turboprop above the threshold does.
• An Airbus rating, current. You must be current and qualified on the A320, A330, A340, A350 or A380. A pilot rated only on a Boeing, an Embraer or an ATR does not meet the posting as published, although the fleet includes the 787-9.
• A UK licence and medical. The rating must sit on a UK CAA ATPL, frozen ATPL or MPL, so an EASA licence alone does not meet the requirement as written. A UK CAA Class 1 and the right to live and work in the UK go with it.
• English at Level 6, certified when you apply. Level 4 is the ICAO minimum for a licence and Level 6 the top of the scale. If your licence records a lower level, take the assessment before you apply, not after an invitation.
• A route for military pilots. Applicants from the RAF’s C-17, Voyager, Poseidon, Atlas, RC-135, Wedgetail and Envoy IV fleets are named in a route of their own. A military pilot on another type should ask Virgin Atlantic before relying on it.

The posting covers First Officers and Senior First Officers alike, and we could not confirm its closing date, so apply while it is listed rather than waiting for a deadline.

Entry routes

• First Officer / Senior First Officer — Airbus, type-rated
• Military fast-jet / multi-engine applicants from named RAF types (C-17, Voyager, Poseidon, Atlas, RC-135, Wedgetail, Envoy IV)
• Direct entry Captain — not offered

Virgin Atlantic and the other UK airlines

The UK airlines on our jobs board, as recorded at each airline’s last check:

Read the type-rating column first. Virgin Atlantic’s posting needs the Airbus rating held and current, so without one the hours alone do not meet it.

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: London Heathrow · Manchester

Fleet: A330-300 / A330-900neo · A350-1000 · B787-9

How to prepare

Virgin Atlantic wants a current Airbus rating, and its fleet is the A330, the A350-1000 and the 787-9, so the technical preparation has two parts. On the Airbus side, the A320 bank covers the fly-by-wire philosophy, flight control laws and ECAM logic the Airbus family shares, and it is the bank for any applicant whose current rating is on the A320. We could not confirm which type a new First Officer is trained on, so the B787 bank, for the Boeing in the fleet, is worth the time as well. Use the ATPL theory banks for the performance, meteorology and navigation questions that wide-body flying draws on. We found no published selection stages, so prepare for the usual shape of an airline assessment, a competency interview and a simulator check, and total your logbook the way the posting counts it: multi-pilot hours on aircraft of at least 10 tonnes or with more than 19 seats.

For the interview itself, read our Virgin Atlantic pilot interview guide, which covers the simulator check and the Airbus and 787 questions to prepare, and the Library’s competency-based pilot interviews. The Library also explains class and type ratings and fly-by-wire and the Airbus control laws, and covers the 787’s no-bleed architecture and flight controls. To compare another UK airline, read British Airways pilot requirements. Check Virgin Atlantic’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.

What we could not confirm

• Researched on 21 September 2026 from search-engine results of the airline’s own careers pages, job postings and industry job boards — not from a direct read of the portal. Confirm the vacancy is still open before you apply.
• Closing date of the current posting

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 Virgin Atlantic hiring pilots? Yes, at the last check, on 21 September 2026. Virgin Atlantic’s own careers site posting for Airbus First Officers and Senior First Officers, and its Pilots and Pilot FAQ pages, appeared in search results and were relayed by UK pilot job boards. We could not read the portal itself or confirm a closing date, so check that the posting is still open before you apply.

How many hours do you need to fly for Virgin Atlantic? 1,500 hours on multi-pilot turbojet or turboprop aircraft of at least 10 tonnes maximum take-off mass or with more than 19 seats. It is not a total-time figure: hours on single-pilot or light aircraft do not count towards it.

Do you need a type rating to join Virgin Atlantic? Yes. The posting asks for pilots current and qualified on the A320, A330, A340, A350 or A380, with the rating on a UK CAA ATPL, frozen ATPL or MPL. A pilot rated only on another manufacturer’s types does not meet it as published.

What English level does Virgin Atlantic require? ICAO Level 6, certified at the time you apply. Level 6 is the top of the ICAO scale and Level 4 the minimum for a licence, so check the level on your licence before applying.

Does Virgin Atlantic hire direct entry Captains? No. Virgin Atlantic offers no direct-entry Captain route; the posting is for First Officers and Senior First Officers. Military pilots from named RAF types, the C-17, Voyager, Poseidon, Atlas, RC-135, Wedgetail and Envoy IV, have a route of their own.