Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL)
The Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) is the highest pilot license in civil aviation and represents an essential step toward a career as an airline pilot. The modular route allows you to complete the training at your own pace and combine it with work or other commitments, while gradually preparing for a career within an airline. Once you have completed the ATPL license and the required flight hours, you are fully qualified to work as captain at a commercial airline.
Rated an average of 9.4
40+ years of experience in aviation
EASA-approved flight school
Flight training
You follow an extensive, modular training program that ultimately leads to a so‑called ‘frozen ATPL’. This means you have passed all the theory exams and successfully completed the practical flight modules. The license only ‘unfreezes’ once you have built up the required 1,500 flight hours as a co‑pilot at an airline. From that moment on, you are permitted to operate as captain.
The training is modular, which means you obtain different certificates and ratings step by step. The first and most important step is your Private Pilot License (PPL), where you learn the fundamentals of flying. This requires a minimum of 45 flight hours and serves as the foundation for the rest of the training.
After that, you expand your flying experience into night operations with the Night Rating, which consists of a minimum of 5 flight hours. Once you have gained sufficient flight experience, you continue with the Instrument Rating (IR), where you learn to navigate and fly using only the cockpit instruments. This is a crucial skill for flying in all weather conditions. The IR module alone requires at least 50 flight hours. Next, you progress to flying multi‑engine aircraft through the Multi‑Engine Piston (MEP) module. This module consists of a minimum of 11 hours in multi‑engine aircraft, of which at least 5 hours are dedicated to instrument flying.
Ultimately, you obtain your Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and specialize in flying in a commercial environment with complex aircraft. The complete training program consists of a minimum of 204 flight hours, of which at least 104 hours are flown together with a flight instructor.
After completing these modules and passing the final practical exams, you will have your ‘frozen ATPL’ and be ready to apply to airlines as a co‑pilot.
Approved Training Organisation
Complete your flight training CO2-neutral
Special Air Academy and GreenCarbon offer the option to offset the CO2 emissions of your training flights (up to 70.525 kg per hour). This is achieved through certified Dutch projects that plant trees to remove CO2. These forests remain for at least 12 years and are clearly visible from the air, making them suitable targets for your navigation flights. The certificates are registered with ONCRA.org to ensure integrity.
Theory Course
Naast de praktijkopleiding dien je ook een theorieopleiding te volgen. De theorieopleiding voor het Airline Transport Pilot License bestaat uit dertien theorievakken waarin je onder meer leert over de regelgeving in de luchtvaart, basisprincipes van het vliegen en weersverschijnselen die invloed hebben op de prestaties van je vliegtuig en planning van je vlucht. Deze theorievakken volg je via een online theorieopleiding van Orbit Groundschool.
Admission requirements
The minimum age for applying for the license (license) is 17 years.
