Atlas Air pilot recruitment

5Y / GTI

US airline specialising in air freight and wet leasing (ACMI) for other airlines and shippers, also operating passenger charters, with a fleet of Boeing widebodies.

Atlas Air fleet, hub and head office

1992

Founded

Head office

White Plains, New York, United States

Main hub

Anchorage, Chicago O'Hare, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Miami and New York JFK

Fleet (aircraft types operated)

Boeing 747-400F, 747-8F, 747-400 LCF Dreamlifter, 767-300ERF and 777F; Boeing 747-400 and 767-300ER passenger aircraft; Airbus A350F on order

Pilot recruitment at Atlas Air

A Boeing widebody operator (747, 767, 777) under FAA Part 121 rules: you need a US licence (FAA ATP or R-ATP) and the right to work in the United States, so an EASA licence alone does not give direct access. The careers page lists US crew domiciles in Anchorage, New York JFK, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, Miami and Seattle, and refers to career pathways for both early-career and highly experienced pilots. Hiring runs through the job board and a Pilot Talent Community; check conditions and open positions on the Atlas Air careers page.

Recruitment information is given as a guide only (public sources, subject to change over time): always check the current conditions on the airline's careers site.

History of Atlas Air

Founded in 1992 by Michael Chowdry, Atlas Air began by leasing Boeing 747 freighters with crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI), with China Airlines as its first customer in 1993. Since 2010 it has operated the Dreamlifter fleet carrying Boeing 787 parts; it absorbed Southern Air (bought in 2016, single certificate in 2021) and took delivery of the last Boeing 747 ever built in 2023. In 2022 its parent, Atlas Air Worldwide, agreed to be taken private by an Apollo-led investor group.

Pay and conditions, from public sources

Figures published by the airline, pilot unions or the press, each one dated (last update: October 2026). For information only.

Contract: in September 2021, a National Mediation Board arbitrator imposed a five-year collective agreement on Atlas Air and Southern Air pilots, represented by Teamsters Local 2750 (more than 2,500 pilots), after six years of talks (September 2021).
Pay: the agreement raises crew pay by 32.5%, 3.7 points more than the company's offer, following an interim 10% rise in May 2020; the detailed scale was not published as text (September 2021).
Retirement: Atlas has no defined-benefit pension, only a capped matching contribution, which the arbitrator raised by 0.5 point (September 2021).
Staffing: according to the union, 310 pilots, about 12% of the workforce, had left in 2021, against 250 hires (September 2021).
Bases: crews are assigned to six US domiciles, Anchorage, New York JFK, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Seattle, depending on operational needs (October 2026).
Benefits: health cover, retirement savings plan, company-paid hotels during training, in base and on reserve, and travel provided to commute from home to base (October 2026).
Flying: pilots operate widebody cargo plus passenger charters (military missions, sports teams, touring artists) (October 2026).

Sources read (3)

Compare pilot pay at other airlines →

Preparing for psychometric tests before a selection

Some pilot selections include psychometric tests. ForAllPilots does not say whether Atlas Air uses them, or which ones: none of the series below is presented as Atlas Air's.

To practise anyway, the site offers several series of exercises, included with the ATPL subscription. They are practice exercises, not official tests: ForAllPilots is not affiliated with any airline or any test publisher, and the exact rules or scoring may differ.

Blog guides to practise with

Prepare your theory: BIA, PPL and ATPL questions

Whether you are aiming for Atlas Air or another airline, the ForAllPilots revision bank covers the BIA, the PPL and the ATPL.

Start revising

By licence:BIA question bank (FR)PPL question bank (FR)ATPL question bank (FR)

Other airlines

ForAllPilots is an independent site: it is not affiliated with Atlas Air or any other airline, and publishes no job offers. To apply, go through the airline's careers site.