Selection process · tests · interview · simulator check
Air Transat pilot assessment
Updated October 2026 · SET STANDARD
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Notify meAir Transat has a new five-year ALPA contract and keeps recruiting Canadian-licensed First Officers and Ascension Academy cadets, but GTF groundings, the 2026 fuel crisis and a flat winter programme keep 2026-27 intake modest and restricted to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
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Air Transat is Canada's leading leisure airline, founded in Montréal in December 1986 by a group including Jean-Marc Eustache, Philippe Sureau, Lina De Cesare and François Legault (later Premier of Québec). It flew its first service, Montréal-Acapulco with a Lockheed L-1011, on 14 November 1987 and opened its first transatlantic route to Paris in 1988. Owned by the TSX-listed Transat A.T.
Key facts
| Fleet | ~41 Airbus: 8 A321ceo, 19 A321LR (PW1100G), 13-14 A330-200, 2 A330-300 |
|---|---|
| Orders | 4 A321XLR (leased from ALC), first delivery late 2027; A330 renewal 2029-32 undecided |
| Bases | Pilot bases Montréal (YUL) and Toronto (YYZ); Québec City is a growing hub |
| Pilots | About 750-760, ALPA-represented |
| Hiring 2026 | SIC (FO) postings A321/A330; cadets via Ascension Academy; Canadian citizens/PR only |
| Entry routes | Direct-entry SIC with TC ATPL or CPL + IATRA/SAMRA-SARON; CAE cadet; command by seniority |
Entry routes and requirements
Second-in-Command (First Officer) A321 / A330
Canadian-licensed pilots joining directly as First Officer (rated or non-rated)
- Valid Transport Canada ATPL, or CPL with the IATRA or SAMRA/SARON written exams completed
- Transport Canada Category 1 medical
- Up-to-date certified logbook
- Thorough knowledge of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs)
Ascension Academy (cadet, with CAE)
Ab-initio candidates with no licence beyond PPL
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident, 18+ at course start, high-school diploma
- English ICAO level 4 equivalent; French preferred
- Able to obtain a TC Category 1 medical and pass Air Transat's medical
- Cost about USD 117,450 at CAE Phoenix plus CAD 5,000 Canadian ground school (Cygnet); CIBC/Scotiabank financing up to CAD 200,000
Captain (A321 / A330)
Internal upgrade by seniority
- Transport Canada ATPL and regulatory qualification as PIC
- Completion of Air Transat's command upgrade course and checks
The selection process, step by step
- Online applicationSmartRecruiters (Transat AT careers); applications may be sorted by AI tools before human review
CV, licence and medical details, certified hours, citizenship/PR status and travel eligibility.
- HR screening callphone or video, English or French (reported)
Checks licence status, availability, base preference (YUL/YYZ) and motivation; cadets get a formal phone interview at this point.
- Online aptitude / psychometric testsremote; cadets take the PRE-COMPASS pre-qualification test at home (official CAE page); DE format reported as a similar online battery
Mental arithmetic, spatial orientation, attention/multitasking and a personality questionnaire (reported).
- Technical assessmentwritten or oral technical questions (reported)
Airbus systems if rated, CARs (705 operations, airspace, altimeter rules), performance, cold-weather operations and NAT/ETOPS basics.
- Panel interviewHR representative plus a line or management pilot (reported); behavioural plus technical questions
Motivation for a leisure carrier, knowledge of Transat, CRM scenarios, past experiences and technical questions.
- Simulator assessmentAirbus FFS in Montréal (reported; device not officially published)
Hand-flying, raw-data approach, engine failure and go-around in a multi-crew setting.
- Offer and pre-employment checksconditional offer
References, Transport Canada Transportation Security Clearance (for the airport restricted-area pass), medical and background checks, then ground school and type rating.
Aptitude and psychometric tests
- Online aptitude: mental maths, spatial, multitasking
- Personality questionnaire
- Technical questions on Airbus, CARs and performance
CAE PRE-COMPASS / COMPASS-type online aptitude (cadet route, official) · Air Transat in-house technical assessment (reported)
The interview
Panel with HR and a pilot representative, about one hour, mixing behavioural (STAR) and technical questions; English or French (reported)
- Why a leisure/charter carrier and why Transat
- Knowledge of Transat: fleet, network, ALPA contract, recent results
- CRM and decision-making scenarios
- Customer focus (Skytrax World's Best Leisure Airline)
- Seasonality and base flexibility
Typical questions to prepare
- What do you know about Air Transat?
- Why a leisure airline rather than Air Canada or WestJet?
- Why Air Transat now?
- Tell us about yourself.
- Describe a time you disagreed with a captain.
- Tell us about a mistake you made in flight.
The simulator assessment
| Device | Airbus A320-family (A321) full-flight simulator; A330 device possible for widebody-rated candidates (reported, unconfirmed) |
|---|---|
| Where | Montréal (training devices used by Transat and CAE; exact centre not published) |
| Typical profile | Reported: take-off, engine failure at or after V1, raw-data or hand-flown approach, go-around, possibly a cold-weather or abnormal scenario |
Language and after selection
English required (cadets: ICAO level 4 equivalent); French preferred/asset. DE postings state no language level, but Transat is Montréal-based and bilingual candidates are favoured (reported).
Ground school and A321 or A330 type rating in Montréal, then line training on the A321ceo, A321LR or A330. Pilot bases: Montréal (YUL) and Toronto (YYZ).
Common reasons candidates fail
- Not eligible: no Canadian citizenship/PR or no Transport Canada licence and exams
- Weak knowledge of CARs, Canadian airspace and cold-weather operations
- Poor raw-data flying or sidestick over-control in the sim
- Starting abnormal procedures before controlling the flight path
- Generic answers with no Transat-specific knowledge (fleet, contract, 2026 events)
Get the complete Air Transat Assessment Guide
195 pages: company history and culture, every stage of the selection, model interview answers, technical refresher, A321ceo · A321LR · A330 systems and simulator assessment preparation. Updated for 2026.
Look inside the guideStatus: Preview · current to October 2026 · not on sale yet · join the waiting list
About this guide
- Format
- PDF (bookmarked, iPad-optimised)
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ed 2026 · Revision 1.0
- Current to
- October 2026
- Pages
- 195
- Status
- Preview · not on sale yet
- Licence
- Personal, single user · see licence terms
- Updates
- Update policy to be announced before sales open
- Simulator stage
- Covered as reported by candidates and public sources
Independent publication. Facts in this overview are labelled “reported” when they come from candidate reports rather than official sources — see the editorial standards. Notify me about this guide · See it in the catalogue
Practice questions: company knowledge
Interview practice drawn from public sources; the answers are not an FAQ about the guide.
When was Air Transat founded?
December 1986, in Montréal
What was Air Transat's first flight?
Montréal-Acapulco on 14 November 1987, with a Lockheed L-1011
First transatlantic route?
Montréal-Mirabel to Paris-Orly, May 1988
Who is Transat's President and CEO?
Annick Guérard, since May 2021
Who owns Air Transat?
Transat A.T. Inc., listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TRZ)
Pilot bases?
Montréal-Trudeau (YUL) and Toronto Pearson (YYZ)
Preparation guides
Other airline assessments
Main sources
https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/TransatAT1/744000076357025-second-in-command-first-officer-
https://builtintoronto.com/job/first-officer/9263252
https://aviationcv.com/job/second-command-first-officer-montreal-toronto-64129
https://www.cae.com/civil-aviation/become-a-pilot/our-pilot-training-programmes/ascension-academy-air-transat
https://builtinmontreal.com/job/ascension-academy-air-transat/9263258
SET STANDARD is an independent training publisher, not affiliated with Air Transat. Information compiled from public sources and candidate reports; always confirm with the airline’s official careers page.