Ryanair is Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers and one of its biggest recruiters of new pilots, which makes its selection process one of the most frequently faced — and most preparable — in the industry.
The routes in
Future Flyer Academy: the cadet route for candidates starting from zero, trained at Ryanair's approved partner schools across Europe — including AFTA in Cork, Airline Flight Academy in Dublin, Skyborne in the UK, Bartolini Air in Poland, Astonfly in France and Aviomar in Italy. Selection happens before training begins.
Direct entry: for licence holders, from low-hour frozen-ATPL graduates through to type-rated First Officers and Captains, recruited continuously across the group's bases.
The stages
Whichever route you take, the funnel is similar: an online application, an online aptitude assessment delivered through Aon (an administration fee applies — €60 at recent intakes), and then an assessment day combining a simulator check with a competency-based interview. Successful candidates can be placed across the Ryanair Group's airlines — including Malta Air, Buzz and Lauda Europe — at bases across Europe and Morocco. The next lessons cover each scored stage in turn; details change over time, so confirm the current process in Ryanair's own careers portal before applying.