Selection process · tests · interview · simulator check
Wizz Air pilot assessment
Updated October 2026 · SET STANDARD
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Wizz Air is back in fast growth (+24% passengers in September 2026) despite a loss-making summer quarter and GTF groundings, and in late 2026 its pilot hiring is centred on captains: DEC and command-track programmes in Budapest, Wizz Air Malta captain events in Madrid and Barcelona ahead of the first Spanish bases, and UK recruiting in North America.
Update · late October 2026: Wizz Air offered voluntary redundancy to a number of pilots at its London Luton base, citing high jet-fuel costs (as reported by BALPA; Aviation News, 26 Oct 2026). Candidates targeting Wizz Air UK should expect limited direct-entry hiring in the UK in the short term and check current openings before applying.
Wizz Air is the largest low-cost carrier in Central and Eastern Europe, flying an all-Airbus fleet of 276 A320- and A321-family aircraft (October 2026), mostly 239-seat A321neos. Listed in London, it carried 69.7 million passengers in its 2026 financial year and 79.3 million in the 12 months to September 2026, built around very low unit costs. Founded in Budapest by former Malév executive József Váradi, who still leads it, Wizz Air grew from a single base in Katowice into a group of three AOCs (Hungary, Malta, UK) with about 40 bases, while facing Brexit, an Abu Dhabi venture that closed in 2025 and Pratt & Whitney engine groundings.
Key facts
| Fleet | 276 Airbus A320-family aircraft (Oct 2026). At 30 June 2026: 24 A320ceo, 40 A321ceo, 6 A320neo, 191 A321neo, 9 A321XLR; about 27 still grounded for GTF inspections |
|---|---|
| Orders | About 235 deliveries to summer 2032 (139 A321neo in F27–F30); XLR capped at 11; all-neo by F29; target 335 aircraft by F30 |
| AOCs | Wizz Air Hungary (EASA), Wizz Air Malta (EASA, 112 aircraft in Sep 2025), Wizz Air UK (UK CAA, about 20 A321neo/XLR); Wizz Air Abu Dhabi closed 1 Sep 2025 |
| Bases | 41 operating (Sep 2026) plus Valencia (2 Nov), Madrid (3 Nov), Pristina (16 Nov), Santiago (17 Dec) and Brașov (Dec 2026); Vienna closed Mar 2026 |
| Pilots | About 2,650 at FY26 (≈1,250 captains, 1,400 FOs, chart reading) planned to reach ≈4,600 by FY32; just over 1,000 net crew joiners a year |
| Hiring 2026 | Hungary: TR/NTR DEC and DEC Programmes (Budapest, Oct–Nov); Malta: TR/NTR captains and DEC CPT Program (Madrid 21–24 Oct, Barcelona 25–28 Oct); UK: North America events, Aeros tagging |
Entry routes and requirements
Wizz Air Pilot Academy (ab-initio cadet)
Candidates with no flying experience from eligible countries
- Nationality: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania or Serbia
- Age 18+ at course start (may be recruited earlier if holding a high school diploma)
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Fluent English
Wizz Air Pilot Academy Albania (WAPA Albania)
Albanian nationals with little or no flying experience
- Albanian nationality
- Age 18+ and completed high school
- Good maths and physics; fluent written and spoken English
- Able to swim 50 m unaided
She Can Fly Programme (female cadets, Wizz Air Pilot Academy)
Women aged 18+ with little or no flying experience
- Right to live and work in an eligible country (Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Hungary, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia; lists vary on the page)
- High school diploma; university degree or flying up to PPL considered at pre-screening
- Fluent English, high-school maths and physics, swim 50 m
- Height/reach check if 160 cm or below or 190 cm or above
Wizz Air Pathway Programme (Urbe Aero, Rome)
Aspiring pilots training in Italy
- Details published by Urbe Aero Flight Academy, Rome; not verified for 2026
Aeros Flight Training 'Airline Tagging' (UK, Wizz Air UK)
Modular students training for UK CAA licences at Aeros (Cardiff, Gloucester, Leeds East, Wellesbourne)
- Training with Aeros towards a UK CAA CPL/IR (pay-as-you-train)
- Identified by Aeros on training data plus behaviours and competencies
- Must pass Wizz Air's own recruitment, interview and assessment
The selection process, step by step
- Online applicationonline
Academy: passport/ID, diploma, English CV and (if held) medical/licence, plus a EUR 130 recruitment fee before testing. Experienced pilots: CV, passport, licence, medical, MCC/JOC/UPRT certificates and logbook via Wizz careers.
- Pilot aptitude test - TestAir 360 (Academy)online, remotely proctored
Wizz-approved aptitude test. Four 60-minute online practice sessions precede the proctored final exam, which covers hand-eye coordination, visual memory, mental arithmetic, maths, physics and intermediate English.
- Psychological assessment (Academy)online
Online psychological test; provider not named.
- Group exercise (Academy)in person, Budapest
Group task assessing teamwork and cooperation. Travel and accommodation are at the candidate's expense.
- Personal interview (Academy)in person, Budapest
Interview on goals, motivation, reasons for flying and communication skills; formal dress recommended.
- Financial and background check (Academy)document check
Check of candidate and guarantor to confirm they can meet the financial obligations.
- Assessment event (experienced FOs/captains): Budapest, Rome or roadshowin person, Wizz Air Training Centre, Üllői út 807/A, Budapest (Hungary AOC); Malta AOC events in 2026 also held in Madrid and Barcelona
Wizz does not publish the content. Candidate reports (2022–26) describe: document check and company presentation; a computer-based written test of about 60 questions in about 1.5 h without calculator (ATPL theory, mental arithmetic, a few chart questions and company knowledge); a 30-minute group exercise in groups of 6–10; a 30–45 minute HR/technical interview with two Wizz pilots; an A320 FFS check of 40–60 minutes as a two-pilot crew; and a personality questionnaire (CPP-type, ~300 items) with a psychologist talk.
Aptitude and psychometric tests
- psychomotor / hand-eye coordination and multitasking
- visual memory
- mental arithmetic and numerical/logical reasoning
- maths and physics (cadets)
- English (cadets)
- personality/psychological test
TestAir 360 (Pilot Academy and She Can Fly - official; reported also for some experienced applicants in 2026) · Wizz in-house computer-based written test (experienced pilots, reported ~60 questions, no calculator) · CPP-type personality questionnaire with psychologist interview (reported)
Group exercise
Academy and She Can Fly: in-person group exercise in Budapest assessing teamwork and cooperation. Experienced pilots: reported 30-minute observed group task (6–10 candidates) on day 1 after the written test.
The interview
Academy: in-person interview in Budapest (Tirana for WAPA Albania; She Can Fly with the flight school); experienced pilots: reported combined HR/technical interview of 30–45 minutes with two Wizz pilots
- goals and motivation
- reasons for wanting to fly
- communication skills
- airline knowledge (reported)
Typical questions to prepare
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why Wizz Air?
- Why this AOC (Hungary, Malta or UK)?
- Which base do you prefer, and would you join without it?
- How will you manage commuting and fatigue?
- Which roster pattern suits you and why?
The simulator assessment
| Device | Airbus A320 Level D full flight simulator (reported) |
|---|---|
| Where | Wizz Air Training Centre, Budapest (Hungary AOC); Rome for Malta AOC events; Wizz runs 6 FFS across Budapest, Rome and Poland |
| Typical profile | Not officially published; reported 40–60 minutes as a two-pilot crew: basic airwork, hold, raw-data ILS and go-around for cadets/NTR; for type-rated candidates an SOP profile with a technical failure (engine, hydraulic or pressurisation). Trainability is the main criterion. |
Language and after selection
Academy: fluent English, with intermediate English assessed in TestAir 360. Experienced pilots: ICAO English Level 4, 5 or 6.
Academy cadets: ~18 months to CPL/ME/IR with ATPL theory, APS MCC and A-UPRT at Tréner (Hungary), then landing course, 5-week A320 type rating, 6–7 weeks conversion and 6–7 weeks line training before release as First Officer; allocation by operational need. Experienced pilots: reported ~4–7 months of type rating/conversion and line training with basic salary from day one; indefinite contract and roster options (5/4, 14/7, reverse 6/4, flexible, 15/15 or 14/14, floating 20/10).
Common reasons candidates fail
- Failing the no-calculator written test because they revised only their type and forgot met, performance, air law and mental arithmetic
- Over-controlling or untrimmed manual flying in a short sim slot
- Weak PM performance or silent flying with no shared plan
- Weak hold entries, stabilised-approach criteria or METAR decoding
- Vague or inflexible answers on base, roster and commuting
Get the complete Wizz Air Assessment Guide
195 pages: company history and culture, every stage of the selection, model interview answers, technical refresher, Airbus A320/A321neo systems and simulator assessment preparation. Updated for 2026.
Look inside the guideStatus: available · current to October 2026
About this guide
- Format
- PDF (bookmarked, iPad-optimised)
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ed 2026 · Revision 1.0
- Current to
- October 2026
- Pages
- 195
- Status
- Available
- 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.
Who founded Wizz Air and still leads it as CEO?
József Váradi, a former Malév executive
When and where was Wizz Air founded?
2003, in Budapest
First flight date, base and route?
19 May 2004, Katowice–London Luton
Where are Wizz Air Holdings' shares listed?
London Stock Exchange (since February 2015)
Who is chairman?
William A. Franke (Indigo Partners)
Who became CFO on 1 February 2026?
Veronika Špaňárová (ex-Citi); Ian Malin moved to Chief Commercial Officer
Preparation guides
Other airline assessments
Main sources
https://careers.wizzair.com/go/Pilot-Academy/5382601
https://careers.wizzair.com/lp/Wizz%20Air%20Hungary%20-%20Pilot%20Attraction/addc148333c748ec/
https://sc.bns.lt/view/item/wizz-air-invites-experienced-pilots-to-join-its-growing-vilnius-based-operations-530154
https://www.flightdeckfriend.com/job/wizz-air-pilot-recruitment-all-experience-levels-2/
https://rotatepilot.com/airlines/wizz-air/recruitment
SET STANDARD is an independent training publisher, not affiliated with Wizz Air. Information compiled from public sources and candidate reports; always confirm with the airline’s official careers page.