China Southern Airlines
AirlineGuangzhou, China
Prepare for China Southern Airlines
Candidate accounts consistently point to the CAAC pilot aptitude test at China Southern Airlines' cadet screening (初检).
China Southern 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 by all Chinese airlines and flight universities that recruit high-school cadets; a separate flight-career psychological screening runs with the medical.
No China Southern Airlines-specific course yet
China Southern 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 Southern Airlines is the largest carrier in China and one of the biggest in the world by fleet size and passengers carried, headquartered in Guangzhou with major hubs at Guangzhou Baiyun and Beijing Daxing. Its fleet spans hundreds of Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies alongside A350, 787 and 777 widebodies serving an extensive domestic and international network. Having departed SkyTeam in 2019, the airline now builds its own bilateral partnerships rather than belonging to a global alliance.
Flying for China Southern Airlines
China Southern trains ab-initio cadets in very large numbers to feed its expanding fleet, recruiting mainly Chinese nationals through university enrolment channels — including the Civil Aviation Flight University of China — as well as overseas partner flight schools. Opportunities for foreign or direct-entry pilots are far more limited, so for most candidates the cadet route is the realistic pathway into the airline.
Cadet selection is highly competitive and combines computer-based aptitude and psychometric testing with strict CAAC Class 1 medical screening, English-language assessment and interviews. With so many applicants competing for each place, candidates who have already sharpened their performance on timed aptitude and cognitive tests enter the process with a clear advantage.
Where China Southern Airlines is based
China Southern Airlines is headquartered in Guangzhou, China.