A prospect in a job interview situation for ab initio pilot training

You can apply here for the pilot training

The best way to become a pilot

Obtaining a pilot's license without prior knowledge

Qualifications for a cockpit job within the Lufthansa Group and outside of it

The European Flight Academy, the Lufthansa Group’s flight school, stands for the highest standards in pilot training. We support you ab initio i. e. from the very beginning, with no prior knowledge required on your part – on your way of roughly two years to your professional pilot’s license. With this license you will be qualified, in general, for a job in a cockpit of the Lufthansa Group airlines as well as of airlines outside the Group.

The process

In the Cockpit soon

If you meet the fundamental requirements, you can sign up for the acquisition of the DLR test certificate. If you have successfully passed the DLR test, you can officially apply at the European Flight Academy with the certificate. After your application, you will be invited to the subsequent selection process, the Lufthansa Group assessment center. Afterwards you will know yourself a lot better – and successful applicants will be able to start their training at the European Flight Academy after the successfully completed medical fitness examination. After twelve months of theoretical instructions you will already be taking your seat in a cockpit for the first flight phase during which you navigate visually. And our student pilots in Switzerland will be able to enter the cockpit for the first time in the fourth month of training.

Here is your first step on the way to a career as a pilot, the registration for the DLR test:

Registration for the DLR test

DLR certificate successfully completed?

Apply for pilot training now

You are interested in the job of a pilot? Apply now in our system via the links below.

Please have at hand the following documents:

complete curriculum vitae (pdf)
DLR certificate (please refer to selection process step 1) or SPHAIR certificate* (only for Swiss citizens)
A valid ID
Your last report cart or diploma qualifying for entrance to a university (Abitur) (please submit even if furhter certificates are already available)
appropriate language certificates (please refer to requirements for the pilot training)

You can register for the training in Germany and Switzerland via the link. After the Lufthansa Group Assessment, you can decide on one of the two training routes and your preferred flight school, provided you meet the relevant prerequisites for applying.

Apply now for the ATP license

A person sits at a table and writes on the application for ab initio pilot training on a laptop

We are very pleased with the great interest in pilot training at the European Flight Academy. We are doing our best to carry out the selection process as quickly as possible so that course enrollment can take place promptly.
Currently, we have more applicants than selection spots, so unfortunately, you may have to expect some waiting time. We appreciate your understanding and wish you all the best!

*Entry after EFA only possible at SWISS and Edelweiss; the SPHAIR certificate must contain a recommendation for the commercial pilot career; for SPHAIR certificates issued before May 2024, a new certificate containing a corresponding verification code must be downloaded from the SPHAIR website; the SPHAIR certificate must not be older than 5 years on the day of Step 2 in the “Lufthansa Group Assessment” selection process. Therefore, we recommend that all interested parties submit their application well in advance of the 5-year deadline.