China Eastern Airlines
AirlineShanghai, China
Prepare for China Eastern Airlines
Candidate accounts consistently point to the CAAC pilot aptitude test at China Eastern Airlines' cadet screening (初检).
China Eastern Airlines publishes nothing about it, so treat it as the likely battery rather than a settled fact.
PAT is the civil-aviation regulator's national cadet aptitude test, shared across the Chinese airlines and flight universities that recruit high-school cadets; it can be sat only once a year.
No China Eastern Airlines-specific course yet
China Eastern Airlines' selection uses the CAAC pilot aptitude test, which we do not train for specifically. The general aptitude course still covers the abilities it measures.
Provider mappings are based on public information and may change. Last checked September 2026.
China Eastern Airlines is one of China's three largest carriers and a SkyTeam member, based in Shanghai and operating from hubs at Pudong and Hongqiao. Its fleet covers the Airbus A320, A330 and A350 families alongside Boeing 737s and 777s and the domestically built COMAC C919, of which it was the launch operator — a distinction no other airline in this directory holds.
Flying for China Eastern Airlines
As with the other mainland majors, the ab-initio pipeline is domestic and university-linked, while the route open to pilots outside China is direct entry. China Eastern recruits experienced foreign Captains and First Officers through its global careers portal, prioritising candidates already typed on the Airbus narrowbody and widebody families or the Boeing 737 and 777.
Selection combines a records and licence review with simulator assessment, technical interview and a medical, followed by CAAC licence validation. Candidates should expect the simulator profile to carry the most weight, and the technical questioning to probe systems knowledge in detail — the parts of the process that reward deliberate revision rather than flying hours.
Where China Eastern Airlines is based
China Eastern Airlines is headquartered in Shanghai, China.