Beginning Your Career as a Pilot at Eurowings
You want to make your dream of becoming a pilot at Lufthansa Group a reality? This is how you step into one of our cockpits: with the ATPL training program at European Flight Academy, you are perfectly qualified to begin working for Eurowings once you graduate. Successfully completing the MPL program is also a possibility should you be looking to work at Eurowings.
Naturally, a pilot career means you will work outside of normal office hours – but that doesn’t mean you don’t have time for a private life and things that are important to you. You also have control over your duty plan, even on a short haul schedule.
In addition, we also offer you attractive part-time opportunities, allowing you to balance your life in the air and with your family.
On short- and medium-haul flights, you will have several flights a day, allowing you to be back home in the evenings. You have a certain level of control over your duty plans and times off, as you can request certain routes and working times.
Pilots never stop learning. This is not just due to advances in technology, but also to the progression of their careers. Your first type rating is usually for short- and medium-haul aircraft such as the Airbus A320. After a few years, you then learn to fly wide-body aircrafts, preparing for your move into a long-haul life.
You carry out your first commercial flights together with a captain specialized in training. Your training on commercial routes takes three months. After this time “line flying under supervision”, it’s time for your big moment: your check flight to become a First Officer (FO).
You are now a full-fledged member of the cockpit and a partner in the cockpit team. The captain and first officer make decisions together. They are both responsible for a safe, economic and punctual flight.
After approximately five years learning short haul types, you have the opportunity to switch to becoming an FO on a long haul aircraft. Only there can you progress to become a Senior First Officer (SFO). On the longest routes, he/she stands in for the captain during designated breaks.
The captain training is the logical next step. Whether this is for short or long haul is up to you – it all depends on what rhythm you prefer in your working life. And then it is finally yours: that left-hand seat in one of our cockpits and the fourth stripe on the sleeve of your uniform.
Even on the ground, exciting development opportunities await you: whether as check or training captains who train new pilots or evaluate them in simulator check flights twice a year, respectively. Or you move to a position that includes both pilot training and business acumen.
Heinrich Prinz, First Officer at Eurowings, tries to describe it nonetheless. He gives you a behind the scenes peek into the daily routines of our pilots.
How long does the pilot training take? How high are the costs? Do I need to be especially athletic? Here, you’ll find all you need to know on pilot training.
Our pilot training is designed to be a full-time activity. Successfully completing it depends on a high level of focus. We thus do not recommend taking on any additional employment during the training. Should you need assistance in covering the cost of living, it may be possible for you to apply for government assistance under the German BAföG program.
Read moreYou need to be at least 18 years old when beginning the training. Please note that you can already submit your application for our MPL program when you are 17 years of age; for our ATPL program, you need to be 18 years old to apply.
Read moreYes, not all pilots have 20/20 vision. Your eyesight will be assessed by a doctor as part of your medical.
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