Transavia · Captain / Commandant de bord
Captain B737NG - Brussels base
Transavia is opening a new base in Brussels and is recruiting experienced captains on the Boeing 737NG. The pilot joins the team building this new base from day one and will fly to varied destinations across Europe. A transition to the Airbus A321neo is planned in coming years, with training provided.
- Employer
- Transavia
- Position
- Captain / Commandant de bord
- Base
- Brussel, Belgique
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737NG (transition prévue vers l'Airbus A321neo)
- Contract
- Contrat fixe (CDI) - impôts payés aux Pays-Bas, sécurité sociale en Belgique
- Pay (public sources)
- Entry-level first officer: €5,570 gross per month (step 1 of the cockpit agreement) excluding allowances; captain scale not published by Transavia
- Posted
- 12 February 2026
Key points
- New Transavia base in Brussels, alongside Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Eindhoven
- Team of around 60 pilots during the start-up phase
- Flights to varied destinations across Europe
- Planned transition from B737NG to A321neo with employer-provided training
- Final roster published 35 days in advance
- Part-time work possible 12 months after line check
What the employer asks for
- Valid EASA ATPL
- Valid ME/IR (A) PBN rating
- Valid Class 1 Medical Certificate
- Minimum ICAO ELP level 5 at application, level 6 required before joining Transavia
- MCC certificate
- Advanced UPRT certificate if licence issued after 20 December 2021
- Valid Boeing 737NG type rating with at least 1000 current hours as Captain on type, including 50 hours in the last 6 months
- Minimum 3500 total flight hours on multi-engine aircraft
- Ability to swim one full pool length unaided for the wet drill exercise
- Valid EU passport
What the employer offers
- Starting salary of €11,220 gross per month
- Additional allowance of €39 gross per block hour, which can exceed 100 hours per month
- Average salary increase of €300 gross per year, excluding indexation
- Permanent contract
- Year-end bonus of 8% of gross base salary
- Holiday allowance
- Pension scheme with 10% employer contribution
- Loss of licence insurance
- Uniform, parking costs and medical checks fully covered
- Final roster provided 35 days in advance
- 20 holiday days under Belgian accrual rules, plus 10 public holidays pro rata
- Possibility of part-time work from 12 months after line check
- Staff travel scheme (ID95) after 3 months, then access to a worldwide airline network after one year
The selection process
- One-day selection day at selection partner EPST in Utrecht
- Compass tests, which can be completed remotely
Summary written by ForAllPilots from the employer's posting. Only the official posting counts: check every condition before you apply.
Low-cost medium-haul
Transavia Netherlands at a glance
Dutch low-cost airline within the Air France-KLM group, a 100% subsidiary of KLM and based at Schiphol. Not to be confused with its sister company Transavia France, based at Orly.
- Bases
- Amsterdam Schiphol (main base), Rotterdam The Hague, Eindhoven and Brussels
- Fleet
- Boeing 737-800 (being replaced) and Airbus A321neo, with the A320neo to follow
Pilot recruitment
The fleet is transitioning from the Boeing 737NG to the Airbus A320neo/A321neo family. Transavia runs its own ab initio course, the 'Airline Pilot Program': about two years, no prior flying experience needed, minimum age 18, good Dutch and English required; the airline quotes an average cost of around €120 000, of which the trainee pays €65 000, with a permanent contract on successful completion (applications were closed in early October 2026, but you can sign up for a job alert). Newly hired first officers are usually based at Schiphol at first, with a later move to Rotterdam or Eindhoven possible; selection takes place at EPST in Utrecht. For the Brussels base (Boeing 737NG), a direct-entry captain vacancy required at least 3 500 hours on multi-engine aircraft including 1 000 hours as captain on the 737NG, an EASA ATPL, a valid 737NG type rating, ICAO English level 5 and an EU passport. Check current requirements and openings on werkenbijtransavia.com.
Pay and conditions, from public sources
Figures published by the airline, pilot unions or the press, each one dated (last update: June 2026). For information only.
- Starting pay: Transavia states €5,570.46 gross per month at step 1 of the cockpit collective agreement, excluding allowances; for the first two months only a training allowance of €1,819.53 gross per month is paid (page consulted October 2026).
- Extras: 8% holiday pay, a 5.57% year-end bonus and variable profit sharing of up to 12% depending on Transavia's results; a pension scheme is included (page consulted October 2026).
- Negotiated raises: the Transavia Vliegers agreement provided +2.5% on 1 August 2023, +2.5% on 1 November 2023, +3.5% on 1 January 2024 and +1.5% on 1 May 2024 (2024).
- 2026 talks: for a 30-month agreement (March 2026 to August 2028), Transavia offered a 2.5% raise in June 2026, the same for pilots, cabin and ground staff, in exchange for productivity gains (June 2026).
- MPL training: the Airline Pilot Program lasts about 22 months on the Airbus A320neo and costs €65,000 excluding accommodation and food, with no pay during training; a commitment of at least 4 years at Transavia is required (page consulted October 2026).
- Selection: online pre-selection, interview, grading and a group exercise, plus a full medical; a €400 fee is paid to partner EPST and results remain valid for one year (page consulted October 2026).
- Base: pilots must be able to reach their home base within one hour (page consulted October 2026).
Sources read (3)
The Transavia 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
- Transavia France: no selection of its own; pilots go through the Air France selection (application, experienced-pilot PSY1 at the ENAC, PSY2, possible simulator), according to the Pilot Jobs Network page and candidates; assignment to Air France or Transavia depends on needs.
- Transavia Netherlands (2025): COMPASS tests taken online from home, then a selection day at a partner school in the Netherlands (according to a candidate preparing for it; older accounts: a test day in Utrecht).
- Netherlands, assessment day (older accounts): interview, group exercise and a session on a B737 fixed-base simulator, then a debrief; the Dutch language requirement has been dropped according to a pilot hired in 2025.
- A Transavia Netherlands pilot cannot move to Air France or Transavia France without going through the Air France selection again (no internal pathway, confirmed by two contributors in 2025).
The aptitude tests
- France: ENAC experienced-pilot PSY1 battery as described in 2024-2026 (tangram, EFG, cubes, gauges, object location, cars, Raven, attention, mental arithmetic, two-joystick psychomotor test).
- Netherlands: online COMPASS tests (hand-eye coordination, multitasking, memory, orientation), cited by several sources; the exact content of the on-site day remains poorly documented.
The technical part
- Dutch interview described as standard and not very technical.
- B737 simulator: take-off with flight director, then basic manual flying work.
Candidates' tips
- For France, prepare exactly as for Air France (PSY1 then PSY2).
- For the simulator, know the 737 pitch attitudes and thrust settings in advance.
- Survival-type group exercise: take part and give structure without dominating.
- For France, the experienced-pilot PSY1 has no maths and no reading of texts: focus training on mental arithmetic, cars, Raven/EFG and the psychomotor test.
Our exercises to prepare
Sources read (8)
- corporate.airfrance.com/fr/node/836
- www.pprune.org/interviews-jobs-sponsorship/659275-transavia-holland.html
- www.pprune.org/interviews-jobs-sponsorship/585128-did-you-take-compass-test-2.html
- pilotaptitudetest.com/knowledgebase/transavia/
- www.pilotjobsnetwork.com/jobs/Transavia_France
- forum.aeronet-fr.org/viewtopic.php?t=47672
- forum.aeronet-fr.org/viewtopic.php?t=48429
- forum.aeronet-fr.org/viewtopic.php?t=45165&start=275
Give yourself every chance
A captain selection focuses on leadership, decision-making and crew management: prepare real situations, what you decided and why.
Expect an in-depth technical interview and a simulator session: go over abnormal procedures and the performance of your type.
Some airlines give aptitude tests to captains too: a refresher on the arithmetic and attention exercises never hurts.