Selection process · tests · interview · simulator check
TAP Air Portugal pilot assessment
Updated October 2026 · SET STANDARD
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Notify meTAP recruits First Officers through short, points-ranked public calls (latest OP23SET26, 500 h minimum, closed 28 Sep 2026) while Lufthansa's selection as 44.9% shareholder promises growth to 117 aircraft by 2035, a Porto long-haul base and a future pilot school.
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TAP Air Portugal is Portugal's flag carrier and a Star Alliance member, built around a Lisbon hub that links Europe with Brazil, Africa and North America. A full-service network airline with about 100 Airbus aircraft plus Embraer regional jets flown by Portugália (TAP Express), it carried a record 16.7 million passengers in 2025, and Brazil is its largest long-haul market. TAP's history is one of resilience through change: state ownership, partial privatisation, renationalisation after COVID-19 and, in October 2026, the selection of Lufthansa to buy 44.9% (up to 5% more reserved for employees).
Key facts
| Fleet | About 100 Airbus (2026): A319, A320ceo/neo, A321ceo/neo, 13 A321LR, about 19 A330-900, a few A330-200; Portugália flies about 19 E190/E195 |
|---|---|
| Orders | About 18 A320neo-family and 2 A330-900 outstanding; 10 deliveries planned for 2026; Lufthansa plan 117 aircraft by 2035, up to 8 A350-900 after 2030 |
| Bases | Lisbon (LIS) hub; Porto (OPO), to grow to 8 based aircraft under the Lufthansa plan |
| Pilots | Around 1,200 pilots reported (press, 2025); not officially published |
| Hiring 2026 | Calls OP6NOV2025 (course Feb 2026) and OP23SET26 (Sep 2026) |
| Entry routes | First Officer only: CPL/IR(ME)/MCC/ATPL theory, 500 h, A320 preferred; no cadet, no DE captain |
Entry routes and requirements
Oficial Piloto / First Officer (A320 family, Lisbon)
Licensed CPL/IR(ME)/MCC pilots with at least 500 h; A320 type rating preferred, not mandatory (call OP23SET26, Sep 2026)
- Valid EASA CPL(A), multi-engine IR, ATPL theory passed, MCC
- Minimum 500 flight hours (2026 call)
- Advanced UPRT certificate (waived if you hold any type rating)
- EASA Class 1 medical
Captain (direct entry)
Not offered
- No direct-entry captain route; command upgrade is internal and seniority-based
Cadet / ab initio
No current programme
The selection process, step by step
- Online application and curricular scoringonline (TAP recruitment portal)
Documents checked (CV with photo, licence, medical, ATPL theory, MCC, UPRT, logbook with totals, recommendation letter, academic and military-service certificates). Candidates are ranked by points: A320-family experience (up to 12), weighted flight hours (up to 5), degree (2-4, more for maths/physics) and English level 5/6 (1-2).
- Aeronautical knowledge testin person, written (Lisbon)
Written aeronautical exam set by Flight Operations/Training; pass mark 75%, pass/fail and eliminatory.
- Psychological assessmentin person (Lisbon), run by HR
Psychotechnical and personality assessment; secondary reports describe aptitude batteries, coordination/multitasking tasks, a group exercise and a psychologist interview. A fail bars reapplication for 12 months.
- Medical assessmentin person, UCS (TAP group health unit)
Company medical under Class 1 rules by UCS; may be scheduled during earlier phases. Eliminatory.
- Simulator test with theory componentin person, A320 FFS (TAP training centre, Lisbon)
Technical simulator event with a theoretical part; pass/fail. Reported content: handling and raw-data flying for non-rated pilots, non-normals such as engine failure for rated pilots, with crew coordination.
- Final jury interviewin person, panel
Interview with the selection jury: Flight Operations Director, Training Director, Chief Pilot and HR Director (or delegates). Jury sets the final ranking and decides APTO / NAO APTO.
- Company integration and type/conversion coursein company
CIE (company integration course), then A320 family type rating or refresher and/or Conversion Training and Checking, then LIFUS and line check. Contract is signed during LIFUS; only those released to line are admitted.
Aptitude and psychometric tests
- written aeronautical knowledge test (75% pass)
- psychological / psychotechnical battery (HR)
- personality questionnaire
- coordination / multitasking (reported)
- group exercise (reported)
- simulator theory component
Group exercise
Reported in the psychological phase (not detailed in the official regulation).
The interview
Psychologist interview (reported) plus final jury: Flight Ops Director, Training Director, Chief Pilot, HR Director
- motivation
- career history
- CRM and teamwork
- safety culture
- company knowledge
Typical questions to prepare
- Why TAP?
- What do you know about the privatisation?
- How could Lufthansa's entry affect pilots?
- Describe TAP's network.
- Tell us about your flying background.
- Why should we select you over someone with more A320 hours?
The simulator assessment
| Device | Airbus A320 family FFS (Level D) |
|---|---|
| Where | TAP training centre, Lisbon (A320 and A330 FFS on site) |
| Typical profile | Theory component plus handling: raw-data manoeuvres for non-rated; engine failure / non-normals with crew coordination for rated pilots (reported) |
Language and after selection
Portuguese and English written and spoken; aeronautical English minimum Level 4 (Level 5/6 scores points). Older aggregator reports of Portuguese ICAO 6 are not in the 2026 call.
CIE, A320 family type rating or conversion, LIFUS and line check; contract signed during LIFUS. Base Lisbon in the 2026 call.
Common reasons candidates fail
- Not enough points in the curricular ranking (few A320 or complex-aircraft hours)
- Missing or late documents within the 5-day window
- Under 75% in the aeronautical written test
- Inconsistent answers in the psychological assessment
- Weak manual flying or theory in the simulator
Get the complete TAP Air Portugal Assessment Guide
191 pages: company history and culture, every stage of the selection, model interview answers, technical refresher, Airbus A320 family / A330neo 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
- 191
- 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 TAP founded?
14 March 1945
What was TAP's first commercial route?
Lisbon-Madrid, 19 September 1946 (DC-3)
Which alliance is TAP in, and since when?
Star Alliance, since 2005
Who is TAP's CEO in October 2026?
Luís Rodrigues
Who chairs TAP's board?
Carlos Oliveira
Which group was selected to buy into TAP in October 2026?
Lufthansa Group
Preparation guides
Other airline assessments
Main sources
https://pic.tapairportugal.com/content/dam/tap-institucional/media/pdfs/regulamentos/REGULAMENTO-DO-CONCURSO-PNT-Ref-6NOV2025.pdf
https://kiosquedaaviacao.pt/tap-air-portugal-abre-recrutamento-para-oficiais-piloto-de-aviacao-comercial/
https://www.empregoestagios.com/tap-esta-a-recrutar-oficiais-piloto-de-aviacao-comercial/
https://recrutamento.tap.pt/job/TAP-OFICIAIS-PILOTO-DE-AVIA%C3%87%C3%83O-COMERCIAL-REF%C2%AA-OP23SET26/1373000257/
https://kiosquedaaviacao.pt/tap-esta-a-recrutar-pilotos/
SET STANDARD is an independent training publisher, not affiliated with TAP Air Portugal. Information compiled from public sources and candidate reports; always confirm with the airline’s official careers page.