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Volaris pilot assessment

Updated October 2026 · SET STANDARD

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Volaris is shrinking its contractual fleet and still has about 24 neo aircraft grounded by GTF inspections while its combination with Viva awaits approval, so in 2026 pilot hiring is limited to occasional Mexican FO and captain vacancies and the internal scholarship; foreign and EASA pilots are not eligible.

Limited, Mexican-nationals-only hiring (Oct 2026); no public cadet intake; foreign pilots not eligible

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Volaris is Mexico's ultra-low-cost carrier, flying an all-Airbus A320-family fleet of about 155 aircraft (A320ceo, A320neo, A321ceo, A321neo; 68% neo) from hubs in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Tijuana, with sister AOCs in Costa Rica and El Salvador. It carried 31 million passengers in 2025 and focuses on visiting-friends-and-relatives traffic and travellers switching from long-distance buses. Founded with Enrique Beltranena as CEO, who still leads it, Volaris first flew in March 2006 and listed in Mexico and New York in 2013.

Key facts

Fleet	155 Airbus (30 Jun 2026): A320ceo 39, A320neo 66, A321ceo 10, A321neo 40; A319 retired 2025; 154 quoted in Oct 2026
Orders	About 120 A320neo/A321neo on order (2025); 2027–28 deliveries deferred; contractual fleet to about 137 by end-2027
Bases	Hubs Guadalajara, Mexico City, Tijuana; bases Cancún, Monterrey, León, Culiacán, Mexicali; San José and San Salvador AOCs
Pilots	Not published; 73 women pilots (Mar 2026), about 5% of the total, suggesting roughly 1,400–1,500
Hiring 2026	Requirement pages live for FO and captain; volume limited by fleet reduction and AOGs
Entry routes	Internal pilot scholarship (Embajadores), direct-entry FO (from 220 h), DE captain (4,000 h, 500 PIC)

Entry routes and requirements

Programa de Becas para ser Piloto Volaris (internal cadet scholarship)

Volaris employees ('Embajadores') and their children/relatives, with no flying experience

Volaris Embajador or relative of one (generations so far: cabin crew, operations and engineering staff, children of pilots)
Mexican nationality (Mexican AOC crew must be Mexican by birth)
Completed high school (bachillerato)
Pass the internal selection (aptitude and psychometric testing reported) and AFAC aviation medical

First Officer (Copiloto) – direct entry, Volaris Mexico

Mexican commercial pilots, including low-hour graduates

Mexican passport (Volaris Mexico); Costa Rican or Salvadoran passport for the subsidiaries
Current AFAC commercial airline pilot licence with multi-engine and instrument ratings, Título de Piloto Aviador and cédula
Current AFAC Class 1 aviation medical (certificado de aptitud psicofísica)
Minimum 220 certified flight hours (official listing; some campaigns reported 1,000–1,500 h)

Captain (Capitán) – direct entry

Experienced airline commanders

Mexican, Costa Rican or Salvadoran passport (AOC-dependent)
Current ATP (Piloto de Transporte Público) licence and Class 1 medical
Minimum 4,000 certified hours including 500 h in command
A320 family experience preferred

Volaris Costa Rica / Volaris El Salvador pilots

Costa Rican and Salvadoran nationals

Local nationality and local DGAC licence (Costa Rica) or AAC licence (El Salvador)
Captain campaigns (Costa Rica, reported): 3,500 h total with 1,500 h PIC or 3,000 h as FO on transport-category aircraft
A320 experience preferred; ICAO English Level 4+

Foreign (non-Mexican) and EASA pilots

Information only: there is no route for foreign pilots into Volaris Mexico

Article 32 of the Mexican Constitution reserves the crew of Mexican-registered aircraft to Mexicans by birth
An AFAC licence is required; EASA/FAA licences are not accepted for employment

The selection process, step by step

Online applicationonline (jobs.volaris.com)
CV, passport, licence, medical, title and cédula, English certificate, US visa and logbook through the Volaris careers portal. Base is assigned at hiring and relocation may be required.
Virtual interview / pre-screening (reported)video call, Spanish
Recruiter interview on background, training, motivation and availability. Candidate reports describe it as conversational: what you know about the company, its mission and vision, and your training history.
Psychometric and aptitude tests (reported)online or on site
Personality questionnaire and aptitude tests (reasoning, numerical, spatial). The main filter for scholarship candidates.
Technical exam and English check (reported)written/computer, on site
Technical knowledge test reported on A320 systems for rated pilots and ATPL-level general knowledge (performance, meteorology, air law, navigation) for non-rated pilots; English level verified against the ICAO certificate.
HR and technical interviewpanel, mainly Spanish with English segments (reported)
HR and Flight Operations/training department pilots. Competencies (decision-making, teamwork, emotional intelligence), motivation, ULCC model, technical and scenario questions.
A320 simulator evaluation (experienced candidates, reported)A320 FFS, reported at the Airbus Mexico Training Centre (AICM, Mexico City)
Handling and CRM check, mainly for experienced and type-rated candidates; low-hour FOs may be assessed on basic instrument flying. Content not published.
Medical, background and offerdocuments
AFAC medical validity, background checks and offer with base assignment, followed by A320 type rating/induction and line training.

Aptitude and psychometric tests

psychometric / personality questionnaire (reported)
reasoning, numerical and spatial aptitude (reported)
technical exam: A320 systems and ATPL subjects (reported)
aviation English verification (ICAO Level 4+)

Volaris in-house selection (provider not published) · Internal scholarship selection with Academia iFly (reported)

Group exercise

Not reported for direct-entry pilots. Scholarship selection may include group dynamics (not confirmed).

The interview

Initial virtual interview with recruitment, then HR plus Flight Operations panel (reported); mainly Spanish with English questions

motivation and knowledge of Volaris (mission, vision, pillars)
decision-making, teamwork and emotional intelligence
availability and relocation
ULCC model and recent company news

Typical questions to prepare

Tell me about yourself.
Why Volaris?
What do you know about our mission and pillars?
Who are Volaris' main customers?
How has the GTF engine issue affected Volaris?
What do you think of the Viva combination?

The simulator assessment

Device	A320 full flight simulator (reported)
Where	Reported Mexico City; Volaris uses Training by Airbus, whose Airbus Mexico Training Centre (AICM) has two A320 FFS.
Typical profile	Not officially published. Reported: handling and instrument flying with an engine failure or non-normal, flown in a two-pilot crew with SOP callouts.

Language and after selection

Spanish is the working language at Volaris Mexico. ICAO English Level 4 or higher with aviation English certificate required; the interview includes English segments (reported).

A320 family type rating and company induction (Training by Airbus / Airbus Mexico Training Centre, Mexico City), then line training on the base assigned at hiring. One common type rating covers the A320ceo, A320neo, A321ceo and A321neo.

Common reasons candidates fail

Not meeting the nationality rule: Volaris Mexico only employs Mexican-born pilots
Missing documents: lapsed medical, no US visa or ICAO English certificate below Level 4
Weak knowledge of Volaris (mission, pillars, fleet, news) in the first interview
Inconsistent answers in the personality questionnaire
Gaps in A320 systems or high-altitude performance in the technical exam

Get the complete Volaris Assessment Guide

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

Look inside the guide

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: 183
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 did Volaris operate its first commercial flight?

13 March 2006

From which airport and to where was the first route?

Toluca to Tijuana

Who is Volaris' President and CEO?

Enrique Beltranena (since its founding)

Where is the headquarters?

Santa Fe, Mexico City

Which are Volaris' three hubs?

Guadalajara, Mexico City and Tijuana

How many aircraft were in the fleet on 30 June 2026?

155

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.volaris.com/content/Requisitos-para-Capitan/?locale=es_MX
https://jobs.volaris.com/content/Requisitos-para-Copiloto/?locale=es_MX
https://www.flightdeckfriend.com/job/volaris-a320-rated-non-rated-captains-first-officers/
https://readyfortakeoffbook.com/blogs/pilot-conditions/volaris
https://valor-compartido.com/volaris-inicia-cuarta-generacion-de-becas-para-estudiar-para-ser-pilotos-a-familiares-de-colaboradores/

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