Airline pilot jobs
Scheduled passenger flying — Captain and First Officer vacancies worldwide.
bestpilotjobs lists 225 airline pilot vacancies as of Oct 2026, across 137 operators. Airline pilot jobs are flight-deck positions operating scheduled passenger aircraft for a licensed airline — flying fare-paying passengers between airports as a First Officer or Captain in a multi-crew, standard-operating-procedure environment. It is the largest and most structured branch of professional flying, running from regional turboprops and single-aisle jets on short sectors through to widebody intercontinental operations.
What an airline pilot does
An airline pilot is responsible for the safe and efficient conduct of every flight. The work covers flight planning, performance and fuel calculation, weather and NOTAM assessment, aircraft-systems management, ATC communication, threat-and-error management and command decision-making — almost always as part of a two-pilot crew working to published standard operating procedures.
Airline flying is disciplined and repeatable by design: standardised fleets, recurrent simulator checks and regular line checks. The career ladder typically runs First Officer to Senior First Officer to Captain, and then into training and standards roles such as Line Training Captain, Type Rating Instructor and Type Rating Examiner.
What flying is involved
Aircraft range from regional types such as the ATR and Dash 8 and regional jets like the Embraer E-Jets and A220, through the A320 family and Boeing 737 (NG and MAX), to widebodies such as the A330, A350, Boeing 787, 777, 747 and A380. Browse the full fleet in the aircraft directory.
- Short-haul and domestic single-aisle operations
- Regional turboprop and feeder flying
- Medium-haul narrowbody sectors
- Long-haul and ultra-long-haul widebody operations
- Low-cost, charter and ACMI / wet-lease passenger flying
Airline pilot ranks and roles
- First Officer — qualified pilot operating as part of the multi-crew flight deck
- Senior First Officer — an experienced First Officer rank used by some airlines
- Captain — pilot in command, with overall responsibility for the flight
- Line Training Captain (LTC) — supervises line training for pilots in operational training
- Type Rating Instructor (TRI) and Type Rating Examiner (TRE) — approved training and checking roles
What airlines look for
Requirements vary widely by airline and country, but most airline pilot vacancies ask for a Commercial Pilot Licence or Airline Transport Pilot Licence (a frozen ATPL is common for First Officers), a multi-engine instrument rating, an MCC or APS-MCC course, a valid Class 1 medical and ICAO English proficiency (level 4 or above). Many roles also require a specific type rating and a minimum total-time or PIC threshold.
Some carriers recruit low-hour or ab-initio First Officers through cadet programmes; others require jet or on-type experience, or hire Direct-Entry Captains. If you hold a non-EASA licence, the licence conversion guide explains the main routes.
Contract and pay structure
Airline positions are offered as permanent, fixed-term or agency contracts, and the base, roster pattern and command-upgrade timeline differ markedly between operators and regions. Fast-growing carriers may offer Direct-Entry Command; others upgrade First Officers internally as seniority allows. The pilot salary guide sets out typical pay by rank, region and aircraft class.
How airline flying differs from other commercial flying
Airline flying is the most structured and regulated branch of the profession, built on standardised fleets, seniority-based progression and network scheduling. That sets it apart from the variable, client-facing schedules of business and charter flying, and from the freight-driven, night-heavy networks of cargo operations. "Airline pilot" is also narrower than "commercial pilot", which covers any compensated flying, including instruction, survey and aerial work.
Live airline pilot jobs · 225 · page 1 of 23
Frequently asked questions
What qualifications do I need for an airline pilot job?
Most airline vacancies require a CPL or ATPL(A), a multi-engine instrument rating, an MCC/APS-MCC, a valid Class 1 medical and ICAO English level 4+. Many also require a specific type rating and a minimum total-time or PIC figure. Requirements vary by airline and country, and some carriers recruit ab-initio First Officers with far fewer hours.
What is the difference between an airline pilot and a commercial pilot?
"Commercial pilot" is the broader term — it covers anyone flying for compensation, including charter, instruction, survey and aerial work. An airline pilot specifically operates aircraft in scheduled or charter airline transport, normally in a multi-crew, standard-operating-procedure environment.
Do airlines hire pilots without a type rating?
Some do. Carriers running cadet or ab-initio schemes and those that fund type ratings will take non-type-rated pilots, while many operators — particularly for command or on constrained fleets — require a current rating on type. Each listing states whether it is type-rated or non type-rated.
How do First Officers become Captains?
Command usually comes from within: as senior Captains retire, serving First Officers who meet the airline's experience and check requirements are upgraded, which in turn opens First Officer seats at the entry point. Some fast-growing airlines also recruit Direct-Entry Captains because they cannot grow commanders organically fast enough.
Which aircraft have the most airline pilot jobs?
Narrowbody types. The single-aisle fleet — led by the A320 family and Boeing 737 — is the largest and highest-turnover, so it accounts for most vacancies. Widebody flying is a smaller pool concentrated in long-haul and cargo, usually with higher experience thresholds. See the pilot demand outlook for the figures.
Are airline pilot jobs in demand?
Over the long term, yes — Boeing and Airbus both forecast a 20-year requirement well above 600,000 new commercial pilots, driven mainly by retirements and by traffic roughly doubling, though the picture is uneven by region. The sourced numbers are on the pilot demand and industry outlook page.