Condor · Cadet / ab initio
Ab Initio Cadet Programme (CAP) - future MPL pilot
Condor offers an entry-level pilot training programme, run together with the TFC Flight Training school in Essen. The programme leads to a professional pilot licence within 24 months, for people who do not yet hold a pilot licence.
- Employer
- Condor
- Position
- Cadet / ab initio
- Base
- Formation chez TFC Flight Training, Essen
- Pay (public sources)
- Pay scale not published; VC agreement: +7% in 2024 then +5% in both 2025 and 2026, running to end of September 2026
- Seen
- 8 October 2026
Key points
- Training delivered in partnership with TFC Flight Training in Essen
- Training duration: 24 months
- Programme aimed at future pilots without prior experience
- Leads to a professional pilot licence
What the employer offers
- Full training to become a pilot
- Team spirit emphasised at Condor
- Discounted rates with airlines, tour operators and hotels
Summary written by ForAllPilots from the employer's posting. Only the official posting counts: check every condition before you apply.
Leisure airline
Condor at a glance
German leisure airline based in Frankfurt, operating scheduled and charter flights to the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands, plus long-haul services to North America, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Marabu Airlines, set up by the same owner, is its sister airline.
- Bases
- Frankfurt (main, long-haul); other bases at Berlin Brandenburg, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and Zurich
- Fleet
- Airbus A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo and A330-900
Pilot recruitment
A 100% Airbus fleet: A320 family on medium-haul and A330-900 on long-haul. For candidates with no experience, the Condor Ab Initio Programm (CAP), run with TFC Flight Training in Essen, lasts about 24 months and leads to an MPL(A) with an A320 type rating; no flying experience is needed, but requirements include the Abitur (or an equivalent university-entrance qualification), fluent German and English, a German residence and work permit, passing a basic qualification test beforehand, and contributing to part of the training cost. The next course starts in June 2027, with applications open until 16 November 2026. For direct entry, Condor recruits first officers holding an EASA licence (ATPL, CPL/IR with ATPL theory, or MPL), with A320 roles for type-rated and non-type-rated pilots and A330 roles in Frankfurt; an A320 or A330 type rating is an advantage. Recruitment is handled by Interpersonal: check requirements and open positions on Condor's careers page.
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.
- Pay agreement signed with the Vereinigung Cockpit union: +7% in January 2024, then +5% in 2025 and +5% in 2026, rising automatically by half the gap if official inflation is higher (June 2023).
- Each pilot received one-off payments totalling €3,000 to offset inflation, and the pay table gained six extra top steps (June 2023).
- This pay agreement runs until the end of September 2026; to our knowledge no outcome of the follow-up negotiation had been published (June 2023).
- Working conditions: a framework-agreement deal better protects pilots' days off and simplifies standby rules (March 2025).
- Hiring: Condor regularly recruits first officers holding an EASA ATPL (or CPL/IR with ATPL theory, or MPL), preferably A330- or A320-rated; applications via Interpersonal (career.aero/condor) (October 2026).
- 24-month ab initio programme with TFC Flight Training in Essen leading to a professional pilot licence; the airline says it has hired every graduate so far (October 2026).
Sources read (5)
The Condor 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 : low
The stages
- Recruitment outsourced to Interpersonal: basic test (BQ) for candidates who have not already passed a Lufthansa group assessment.
- Simulator check.
- Selection interview (company qualification), in German.
The aptitude tests
- Interpersonal or DLR basic test depending on the profile: reasoning, calculation, spatial.
The technical part
- Instrument flying simulator session; few recent details.
Candidates' tips
- Fluent German is required according to several candidates.
- The information dates mostly from before 2020: check the current process.
Our exercises to prepare
Give yourself every chance
A cadet selection mostly assesses your potential: aptitude tests (attention, mental arithmetic, spatial orientation, memory), English, then a motivation interview and often a group exercise.
Practise the aptitude tests regularly, in short sessions, and track your scores: progress is what counts, not a cramming week.
Revise the theory basics (meteorology, navigation, principles of flight): many selections touch on them, and you will need them from day one of training.