British Airways · First Officer / Copilote
A320 Pilot - London Heathrow base
British Airways is recruiting already type-rated A320 pilots to join its short-haul fleet based at London Heathrow. The role is open to UK licence holders who can later move into other short-haul or long-haul fleets within the company.
- Employer
- British Airways
- Position
- First Officer / Copilote
- Base
- Londres Heathrow
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320
- Pay (as pilots report it)
- Captain: about £99,900 to £223,300 a year; first officer: about £74,900 to £167,500, before tax (August 2025)
- Seen
- 10 October 2026
Key points
- Based at London Heathrow
- Aircraft: Airbus A320
- Current A320 type rating required
- Option to move to a long-haul fleet or remain on short-haul as a Captain
- Recently enhanced rosters with more rest and fewer standby periods
What the employer asks for
- Current A320 type rating with at least 500 hours on type (excluding simulator)
- Flown the A320 family within the last 12 months
- Current UK CAA Flight Crew Licence ATPL(A), fATPL(A) or MPL
- UK Class 1 medical with at least 6 months validity remaining from joining
- Height between 1.57m and 1.91m (taller applicants may undergo a functionality check)
- Good level of physical fitness
- English language ICAO level 6, spoken and written
- Valid passport with at least 12 months before expiry
- Compliance with British Airways uniform standards (tattoos allowed except on hands, face or head)
- Able to swim 50m and tread water for 3 minutes, and assist another person in water
- Able to fit a lifejacket in water and pull own body weight into a life raft
What the employer offers
- Unlimited basic and premium standby tickets on British Airways flights
- Up to 30 discounted 'Hotline' airfares per year for yourself, friends and family
- Dynamic career path across different fleets
- Varied roster patterns (night stops, day trips and tours)
- Company pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution
- Greater choice of 5 fleet types after an initial freeze
- Life insurance benefits
- Company-funded conversion course/type rating, not bonded
- Discounted airfares for friends and family
- Discounts at selected car hire, hotels and retail stores
- Range of voluntary benefits for employee and family members
- Private medical cover, technology scheme, cycle to work and electric/plug-in hybrid car scheme
Summary written by ForAllPilots from the employer's posting. Only the official posting counts: check every condition before you apply.
British legacy long-haul airline
British Airways at a glance
The British flag carrier, formed in 1974, a founding member of the oneworld alliance in 1999, with its main hub at Heathrow and a very diverse long- and medium-haul fleet.
- Bases
- London Heathrow (main), London Gatwick (secondary, via BA Euroflyer)
- Fleet
- Airbus A320/A321, A350, A380; Boeing 777, 787; Embraer 190 (BA CityFlyer)
Pilot recruitment
Member of the IAG group. Recruits qualified pilots and offers a structured ab initio cadet programme (BA Future Pilot Programme). Large and medium-haul Airbus and Boeing fleet, hence many possible type ratings.
Pay and conditions, as pilots report them
Figures reported by pilots, not confirmed by the airline, each one dated (last update: June 2026). For information only.
- Captain (BA Mainline): about £99,900 a year at the bottom of the scale, up to about £223,300 on long haul and £189,300 on short haul, before tax (August 2025).
- First officer: about £74,900 a year at the bottom of the scale, up to about £167,500 on long haul and £142,000 on short haul, before tax (August 2025).
- Speedbird Pilot Academy (company-funded training): basic pay of about £36,800 in year 1, up to £67,200 in year 5 (November 2025).
- Allowances: about £19 per flying hour, around £14,200 a year for an average 713 hours, plus £4.86 per hour away from base (August 2025).
- Pension: 6% from the pilot and 15% from the company, plus 0.6%, 21.6% in total (March 2023).
- Rosters: seniority-based bidding, junior pilots work more weekends; since winter 2025, at least 3 days off after a long-haul trip of 3 days or more, and 86 hours off after a 5-day short-haul block (December 2025).
- Leave: 6 weeks plus wrap days, and 12 "golden days" a year; parental leave on top (November 2025).
- Career: command on short haul in 3 to 5 years, 18 years or more on long haul; under 2 years at BA Euroflyer in Gatwick (December 2025).
- Hiring: A320 first officers sought and some A320neo captain positions; entry through SSP closed until 2027, newly qualified pilots go through the Speedbird Pilot Academy. Outlook described as positive (June 2026).
- First officer profile: at least 500 hours with A320 experience for short haul, 1,500 hours on a ZFTT-qualifying aircraft for long haul; otherwise BA Euroflyer from 100 sectors and 500 hours (August 2024).
- Selection: online application, recorded video interview, then capacity and spatial reasoning tests, group exercise, interview and simulator (August 2024).
Reports published on pilotjobsnetwork.com
Compare pilot pay at other airlines →The British Airways selection, as candidates tell it
What candidates report on forums (Aeronet, Pilot Jobs Network) and what the employer publishes, summarised by ForAllPilots. It is not the official process: it changes from one campaign to the next, always check the posting.
Reliability of the reports : medium
The stages
- Recorded video interview of a few questions (it replaced the former online maths and verbal tests).
- Computer-based crew capability test (‘EAGLE’), in the role of a first officer managing several tasks under high workload.
- Group exercise and competency-based interview.
- Simulator (A320 or A380 depending on the day), the result of which is combined with those of the interview and group exercise; the whole process takes about two months.
The aptitude tests
- EAGLE multitasking test: system monitoring, failure detection and management, small calculations in parallel.
- The former numerical and verbal reasoning tests are no longer reported in recent sessions.
The technical part
- Few technical questions reported; the simulator assesses coordination, decision-making, navigation accuracy and manual flying.
Candidates' tips
- Prepare concrete examples focused on care for customers and colleagues.
- Know the basic pitch attitudes and thrust settings for both possible simulator types.
- Practise multitasking under pressure before the EAGLE test.
Our exercises to prepare
Give yourself every chance
A first officer selection usually combines a technical test (ATPL and aircraft knowledge), aptitude tests, a group exercise, an HR and technical interview, then a simulator check.
Revise the ATPL subjects that come up most in technical interviews: performance, meteorology, systems, procedures. Prepare concrete examples of crew teamwork for the interview.
If the posting mentions aptitude tests, practise the most common families of exercises: mental arithmetic, multitasking, orientation, reasoning.