Icelandair

Icelandair is the flag carrier of Iceland, connecting Europe and North America over its hub at Keflavík International Airport with a narrowbody fleet built around the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A321LR, as the airline retires its last Boeing 767s through 2026. Since the collapse of low-cost rival Play in September 2025, it is the only major Icelandic passenger carrier. The airline is not a member of a global alliance, relying instead on an extensive network of codeshare partnerships.

Flying for Icelandair

Icelandair recruits pilots primarily from the Icelandic CPL market through periodic intakes advertised on its careers portal, with hiring driven by fleet growth as the A321LR and forthcoming A321XLR open new routes; fluency in Icelandic is strongly preferred. New joiners train at the CAE Reykjavík flight training centre, which houses 737 MAX simulators and, since late 2025, the first Airbus A320-family full-flight simulator in Iceland.

Assessment typically combines computer-based aptitude and psychometric testing with interviews and a simulator evaluation, reflecting the demands of North Atlantic operations in challenging weather. With one dominant employer in a small national pilot market, competition per intake is intense, and candidates who have rehearsed pilot aptitude and cognitive tests in advance give themselves a genuine edge.