Airline Transport Pilot Licence ATPL(A) Training

If you have ever wondered how to become an airline pilot, the Airline Transport Pilot Licence ATPL(A) is one of the final stages in a professional pilot's training career. Obtaining this licence requires completion of the relevant theoretical course, accumulation of practical flight experience, and passing theoretical examinations conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – Flight Examination Commission. After completing the course and passing the examinations, the student is awarded a Frozen ATPL(A) licence. The full ("unfrozen") ATPL licence is issued after acquiring the required operational experience as a professional pilot in commercial air transport and meeting the applicable experience requirements.

Who can start ATPL(A) training?

• This training programme is primarily intended for holders of a PPL(A) licence who also possess valid aviation medical certification appropriate to their licence. To begin the course, the candidate must:
• be at least 17 years old,
• hold at least a lower secondary education or equivalent,
• hold a valid aviation medical certificate (initially Class 2 may be sufficient; however, a Class 1 medical certificate will be required in the future),
• hold a Private Pilot Licence PPL(A).

‍How is ATPL(A) training conducted?

Under current aviation regulations governing pilot training, any holder of a valid PPL(A) licence is entitled to undertake the theoretical training for the Airline Transport Pilot Licence ATPL(A).

The theoretical course comprises approximately 650 hours of study, including lectures and self-study. The syllabus covers aircraft general knowledge, principles of flight, operational procedures, navigation, radio navigation, mass and balance, performance, meteorology, and VFR/IFR communications. The training may be conducted via distance learning, which typically includes around 120 hours of classroom instruction and approximately 530 hours of self-study.

Completion of the theoretical course allows the candidate to proceed to the practical phase leading to the Commercial Pilot Licence CPL(A) and to obtain the Instrument Rating IR(A). Only after obtaining all required qualifications — namely CPL(A), IR(A), MCC, and in most cases the MEP(L) rating — as well as passing the ATPL theoretical examinations at the Civil Aviation Authority, does the pilot obtain the Frozen ATPL(A).

This licence allows the holder to operate as a First Officer in multi-crew operations. To obtain the full ATPL(A) licence, a pilot must accumulate at least 1,500 flight hours, including a minimum of 300 hours under Instrument Rating IR(A) and 200 hours in multi-crew operations.

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