Selection process · tests · interview · simulator check

Avianca pilot assessment

Updated October 2026 · SET STANDARD

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Avianca's pilot market has settled after the 2023 exodus to US carriers: hiring in 2026 is campaign-based and almost entirely for Colombian-licensed pilots, while the fleet grows with A320neos, two A330-900s and new US routes.

No open pilot campaign listed (21 Oct 2026); recruitment campaign-based for Colombian nationals; foreign/EASA pilots effectively not hired

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Avianca is Colombia's flag carrier and the second-oldest airline in the world still flying, founded as SCADTA in Barranquilla on 5 December 1919. It flies 159 aircraft (August 2026): 135 Airbus A319/A320ceo/A320neo, 15 Boeing 787-8s on long-haul and 9 A330 freighters at Avianca Cargo, from hubs in Bogotá, Medellín and San Salvador. It carried 25.7 million passengers in January–August 2026.

Key facts

Fleet	159 aircraft (Aug 2026): 8 A319, 79 A320ceo, 48 A320neo, 15 B787-8 in service, 9 A330F (Avianca Cargo)
Orders	A320neo commitment of about 138 to 2032 (50 options exercised Oct 2025); 2 A330-900 due H2 2026; Abra E195-E2 order (20 firm, up to 45) from Q4 2027
Bases	Bogotá main hub and pilot base; Medellín second hub; San Salvador via Avianca El Salvador
Pilots	About 1,000 ACDAC union members at Avianca (2025), plus about 100 cargo pilots; 100+ women pilots
Hiring 2026	Recruitment 'stabilised' (Sep 2026); no vacancies on jobs.avianca.com on 21 Oct 2026
Entry routes	Entry-level FO (about 200 h), experienced FO, Avianca Cargo A330 FO, rare DEC; women's PCA scholarships

Entry routes and requirements

First Officer – entry level (A320 family, Colombia AOC)

Low-hour Colombian commercial pilots (PCA) without airline experience

Colombian nationality (or naturalised); valid Colombian passport and US visa (reported)
Aerocivil (UAEAC) PCA commercial licence with multi-engine and instrument ratings; ATPL theory or PTL an advantage
About 200 h total flight time in entry-level campaigns (published per campaign; reported)
Minimum age 21; ICAO English Level 4 or higher; fluent Spanish

Experienced First Officer (A320 / B787 / Avianca Cargo A330F)

Colombian pilots with airline or jet experience, type-rated or not

Colombian PTL/ATPL or PCA with ATPL theory, issued or converted by Aerocivil
Hours set per campaign; a 2026 Avianca Cargo A330 FO call reportedly asked for 1,000 h on jets
ICAO English Level 4+ (long-haul and US/Europe routes favour Level 5–6)
Aerocivil Class 1 medical, clean record, US visa

Direct Entry Captain

Very experienced commanders (rarely opened)

Reported criteria: about 5,000 h total, 3,000 h on jets and 500 h PIC
Colombian nationality: Commercial Code art. 1804 requires the commander of Colombian-registered public-transport aircraft to be Colombian, except in special cases allowed by regulation
Colombian ATPL (PTL) or a converted foreign licence, Class 1 medical, ICAO English 4+

Foreign / EASA licence holders

Non-Colombian pilots, including EASA, FAA or other ICAO licence holders

Colombian work authorisation; Avianca does not publish a visa-sponsorship route
Conversion (convalidación) of the ICAO licence by Aerocivil under RAC 61: apostilled licence and logbook, review by a certified training centre (CIAC), Aerocivil Class 1 medical, theory exam and a practical check, filed through the SIGA platform
Spanish is the working language; ICAO English 4+
Labour quota: Commercial Code art. 1803 requires Colombian aviation companies to employ at least 90% Colombian staff (reciprocity and temporary authority waivers apply)

'El cielo es de ellas' – scholarship for women pilots

Colombian women with no flying experience

Colombian nationality; age 18+
High-school diploma and Saber 11 score of 350 or more
English B2 certificate
2,500-word essay, two personal references, police, disciplinary and fiscal record certificates

The selection process, step by step

Online application and requirements validation (Phase I)online, jobs.avianca.com
CV, licence, medical, logbook totals, passport and US visa uploaded against the country requirements PDF. Documents and hours are verified before testing.
English test, competency assessment and complementary test (Phase I)online / phone
Official Phase I includes an English test, a competency assessment and a complementary test. Scholarship candidates reported an English phone interview; experienced pilots in 2024 took a Symbiotics psychometric assessment via the Airline Pilot Club.
Non-technical skills, assessment centre and basic subjects (Phase II)in person, Bogotá
Group exercise (assessment centre) observing teamwork and cultural fit, plus a technical knowledge test on basic aeronautical subjects (ATPL style: performance, meteorology, navigation, air law/RAC, systems).
Simulator assessment (Phase III)in person, CAE/Avianca training centre, Centro de Excelencia Operacional, Bogotá
A320 full flight simulator (reported) flown as a crew. Content is not published; reports describe raw-data handling, instrument procedures and a non-normal, with CRM observed throughout.
Operational interview (Phase III)in person, panel
Panel of senior pilots (flight operations/training) and HR covering motivation, airline knowledge, behavioural examples and technical/scenario questions.
Medical examinations (Phase IV)company medical and drug/alcohol test
Company medical checks on top of the Aerocivil Class 1, including drug and alcohol testing (reported).
Hiring and initial training course (Phase V)contract and ground school
Employment contract under the Colombian labour code, company indoctrination, A320 or other type rating with CAE in Bogotá and line training.

Aptitude and psychometric tests

English (test or phone interview)
competency / personality questionnaire
cognitive aptitude, workload management and situational awareness (2024 APC/Symbiotics criteria)
basic aeronautical knowledge (ATPL style, including RAC)
psychotechnical test (scholarship route)

Avianca in-house English and competency tests (official Phase I; format not published) · Symbiotics psychometric assessment via the Airline Pilot Club (2024 experienced-pilot campaign) · Technical knowledge test on basic subjects (official Phase II)

Group exercise

Official Phase II includes non-technical skills and an assessment centre (group dynamics). Scholarship candidates take a group interview in Bogotá.

The interview

Operational interview in Phase III with senior pilots and HR (reported 30–45 min, mostly in Spanish with an English part); scholarship route has group plus individual interviews

motivation for Avianca and Colombia/Central America
knowledge of Abra Group, fleet and network
safety culture and CRM
behavioural examples
customer focus

Typical questions to prepare

Tell us about yourself.
Why Avianca?
What do you know about Abra Group?
Who leads Avianca today?
Describe Avianca's fleet.
What are the challenges of operating from Bogotá?

The simulator assessment

Device	Airbus A320 full flight simulator (reported)
Where	CAE/Avianca training centre, Centro de Excelencia Operacional, Bogotá (A320, B787 and ATR FFS)
Typical profile	Not officially published. Reported: crew session with raw-data climb, turns and level-offs, an instrument approach (often non-precision or with a go-around) and a non-normal such as an engine failure, judged on handling and CRM.

Language and after selection

Spanish is the working language in Colombia; English ICAO Level 4 minimum (B2 for the scholarship). An English test is part of Phase I.

Contract under the Colombian labour code and the ACDAC collective agreement (1 Jan 2025–31 Dec 2027). Initial course, A320 type rating at CAE Bogotá (reported 8–10 weeks) and line training.

Common reasons candidates fail

Applying without Colombian nationality or a converted Aerocivil licence
Logbook totals or documents that do not match the application
Weak spoken English in the Phase I test
Revising only the aircraft and failing the basic subjects test (RAC, met, performance)
Forgetting high-elevation and terrain effects in the sim and in scenario questions

Get the complete Avianca Assessment Guide

190 pages: company history and culture, every stage of the selection, model interview answers, technical refresher, Airbus A320 family · Boeing 787 systems and simulator assessment preparation. Updated for 2026.

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Status: 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: 190
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 Avianca founded and under what name?

5 December 1919 in Barranquilla, as SCADTA

Which merger created the name Avianca in 1940?

SCADTA with SACO

Which Central American airline merged with Avianca in 2010?

TACA

When did Avianca join Star Alliance?

21 June 2012

What is Avianca's parent company?

Abra Group

Which airlines belong to Abra Group?

Avianca and GOL, plus Wamos Air; the combination with Chile's SKY is under way

Preparation guides

Pilot Aptitude Tests: What They Measure and How to Practise Pilot Assessment Guide: How Airline Selection Works and How to Prepare Pilot Group Exercise: How to Show Real Crew Behaviour Pilot Interview Questions: How to Prepare Competency and Technical Answers Pilot Personality Questionnaire: Honesty, Consistency and Crew Fit Pilot Simulator Assessment: What to Expect and How to Prepare Pilot Technical Interview: Key Topics and How to Explain Them

Other airline assessments

Main sources

https://jobs.avianca.com/go/Pilotos/2845201/
https://jobs.avianca.com/content/Informacion/?locale=es_ES
https://jobs.avianca.com/content/Descubre-todo-sobre-este-programa/?locale=es_ES
https://halldale.com/civil-aviation/avianca-pilot-selection-project-airline-pilot-club-and-symbiotics
https://readyfortakeoffbook.com/blogs/pilot-conditions/avianca

SET STANDARD is an independent training publisher, not affiliated with Avianca. Information compiled from public sources and candidate reports; always confirm with the airline’s official careers page.