Edelweiss pilot recruitment

WK / EDW

Swiss leisure airline and sister company of Swiss within the Lufthansa Group, flying from Zurich to holiday destinations in Europe and on long-haul routes.

Edelweiss fleet, hub and head office

1995

Founded

Head office

Kloten (Zurich), Switzerland

Main hub

Zurich

Fleet (aircraft types operated)

Airbus A320 and A320neo, Airbus A340-300 and A350-900

Pilot recruitment at Edelweiss

Short- and long-haul Airbus fleet operated under a 'Mixed-Fleet Flying' model, so pilots can fly more than one aircraft type, with a single base in Zurich. Edelweiss offers airline pilot training backed by a CHF 80 000 loan per trainee, repaid through salary deductions once employed; according to the airline, Swiss nationals start with no personal contribution, while EU/EFTA citizens pay CHF 24 000 at the start of training (because public subsidies are lower). Check admission requirements (age, language, education) and current openings on Edelweiss's 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 Edelweiss

Edelweiss was founded on 19 October 1995 in Bassersdorf with a single McDonnell Douglas MD-83, replaced from 1998 by Airbus A320s; long-haul flights began in 1999. Owned by Kuoni until 2008, it then joined Swiss International Air Lines. It took over A340-300s from Swiss in 2017-2018, which have been replaced by Airbus A350-900s since 2025.

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.

Collective agreement: Aeropers approved a new agreement covering Edelweiss's 344 pilots, effective 31 December 2024; pay terms backdated to 1 July 2024 and new working-time rules since 1 January 2025 (December 2024).
During talks, Edelweiss offered a 15% rise in the cockpit wage bill over four and a half years, higher profit-sharing and more predictable rosters (April 2024).
Pension: according to the airline, pilots receive a 26% pension contribution paid entirely by the employer (April 2024).
Edelweiss paid all pilots an extra 2% from January 2023 outside the agreement, and planned in April 2024 to restore much of the Covid-era pay cuts (April 2024).
Hiring: ab initio training with European Flight Academy or Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland, plus a freelance direct-entry A350 captain role; applications only via the be-lufthansa.com/edelweiss portal (October 2026).
Ab initio criteria: apply between ages 18 and 33, height between 160 and 198 cm; Edelweiss uses the same criteria as SWISS (October 2026).

Sources read (4)

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Preparing for psychometric tests before a selection

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

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Other airlines

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