how to become a pilot in Europe: the complete EASA pathway

To fly in Europe you train under EASA (the European Union Aviation Safety Agency) rules toward a Part-FCL pilot licence. The path is: pass an aeromedical examination, choose a licence (LAPL, PPL, CPL or ATPL), complete ground-school theory exams and the required flight hours with an Approved Training Organisation (ATO), then pass a skill test with an examiner.

What is EASA, and who regulates pilot training in Europe?

EASA sets the common rulebook: Part-FCL (Flight Crew Licensing), Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, that standardises pilot licences across its member states, so a licence issued in one state is recognised across the bloc. Switzerland applies the EU's EASA aircrew rules under the Switzerland-EU Air Transport Agreement, and training at alpaviation runs under the regulation of FOCA (BAZL), the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation.

A definition worth fixing early: an ATO (Approved Training Organisation) is a school formally approved by the competent authority to deliver licence training. alpaviation is an EASA-approved ATO, reference CH.ATO.0147, operating from Bern-Belp Airport (LSZB), and the licences it trains toward are recognised across 31 states, the EU-27 plus Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Training toward any EASA licence must be completed at an ATO (or, for some sport and recreational training, a Declared Training Organisation), you cannot self-certify your way to a licence. This is why "where you train" is the first real decision on the pathway. For the full Swiss picture, see our complete guide to pilot training in Switzerland.

What is the EASA licence ladder: LAPL, PPL, CPL, ATPL?

EASA licences form a ladder of increasing privilege, from recreational flying to commanding an airliner:

• -LAPL (Light Aircraft Pilot Licence), a recreational licence with the lowest entry requirement; non-commercial flying as pilot-in-command on lighter aircraft (for aeroplanes: single-engine piston or TMG up to 2,000 kg, carrying up to three passengers) (Part-FCL, FCL.105 and FCL.105.A).
• -PPL (Private Pilot Licence), the standard private licence; fly as pilot-in-command or co-pilot in non-commercial operations, with broader privileges than the LAPL (Part-FCL, FCL.205.A).
• -CPL (Commercial Pilot Licence), lets you be paid to fly; the first professional rung.
• -ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot Licence), the highest licence, required to command a multi-pilot aircraft such as an airliner.

Most professional pilots build from PPL through CPL toward what the industry calls a "frozen" ATPL, not a regulatory term, but a useful one: you hold a CPL with the full ATPL theory passed, and the ATPL itself is issued once you log the required experience, 1,500 hours of flight time, including 500 hours in multi-pilot operations (Part-FCL, FCL.510.A). To compare the two private routes specifically, read PPL vs LAPL; for the recreational licence on its own, what is the LAPL; for the private licence, what is the PPL; and for all four side by side, the four pilot licences explained.

LAPL vs PPL: which licence should you start with?

For most people entering aviation, the real first choice is LAPL or PPL. Both let you fly for pleasure; the difference is reach and entry effort.

The LAPL has a lower minimum training requirement and a less demanding medical, which makes it the faster, lower-cost way into the air, but it carries operating restrictions and is not recognised outside the EASA system the way a PPL is. The PPL asks for more hours and a higher medical standard, but gives you the internationally recognised ICAO-standard private licence and is the licence you build on if you later go professional.

A useful rule of thumb: if flying will stay recreational and regional, the LAPL may be enough; if there is any chance you will pursue ratings or a career, start with the PPL so you are not retraining later. Our head-to-head guide PPL vs LAPL walks through the trade-off in detail.

What medical certificate do you need to become a pilot?

Before you spend money on flight training, confirm you can hold the required EASA medical certificate, it is the single most common pre-qualification worry, and it is checkable up front.

EASA defines medical classes by licence: exercising LAPL privileges requires at least a valid LAPL medical certificate, a PPL at least a valid Class 2, and a CPL, MPL or ATPL a valid Class 1 (Part-MED, MED.A.030(c)). The examination is carried out by an AME (Aeromedical Examiner), a doctor authorised under Part-MED. Common concerns such as corrected vision do not automatically disqualify you, but specific limits and conditions must be assessed by the AME against the current Part-MED requirements.

Because requirements change and outcomes are individual, treat a medical as a personal assessment with an AME, not a checklist you can pass online. Our EASA medical certificate guide explains what each class involves and how the AME process works.

What are the EASA theory exams?

Every EASA licence requires passing written theoretical knowledge (TK) examinations before, or alongside, the flying. The depth scales with the licence: the LAPL and PPL cover the core subjects (air law, meteorology, navigation, principles of flight, human performance and more), while the ATPL theory is the most extensive, examined across 13 subjects, from air law and meteorology through general and radio navigation to principles of flight and communications (Part-FCL, FCL.515(b)).

A point that surprises many new students: for a professional career, the ground-school theory is a large share of the total effort, not an afterthought to the flying. ATPL theory in particular is studied over months and is the part most often underestimated in both time and cost. We break down the subjects and the study commitment in our pilot training roadmap.

Regulatory note: TK subject counts and pass requirements are set by EASA and change over time; this content is general information, confirm current requirements with EASA or BAZL/FOCA before relying on them.

How many flight hours does each licence require?

EASA sets minimum flight-hour requirements per licence, minimums you must meet, not averages most students hit:

• -LAPL(A): minimum 30 hours of flight instruction, including at least 15 hours dual and 6 hours supervised solo (Part-FCL, FCL.110.A).
• -PPL(A): minimum 45 hours of flight instruction, of which up to 5 may be flown in a simulator (FSTD), including at least 25 hours dual and 10 hours supervised solo (Part-FCL, FCL.210.A).
• -CPL(A): on the modular route, at least 200 hours of total flight time including 100 hours as pilot-in-command before the skill test (Part-FCL, Appendix 3).
• -ATPL(A): the full licence requires 1,500 hours of flight time including 500 hours in multi-pilot operations (Part-FCL, FCL.510.A), hours you build in the job after the frozen ATPL, not at flight school.

Two honest caveats. First, these are regulatory minimums, many students need more hours to reach test standard, and that affects cost. Second, the professional licences layer in ratings (such as an instrument rating) that carry their own hour requirements. For how the hours, exams and ratings sequence into a full plan, see the pilot training roadmap.

Modular vs integrated: which professional route is right for you?

If you are training for a career, you choose between two routes to the same EASA licence:

• -Modular, you complete each licence and rating as a separate building block (PPL, then hour-building, then CPL, then instrument and other ratings), often part-time, paying as you progress.
• -Integrated, a single continuous full-time programme that takes you from zero to a frozen ATPL in one structured course.

Both routes produce the same EASA licence, the regulation itself says the ATPL training course "shall be either an integrated training course or a modular course" (Part-FCL, FCL.515(a)); the difference is structure, pace, flexibility and how you finance it. Modular suits people balancing work or study and spreading cost; integrated suits those who can commit full-time and want a fixed timeline. We compare them honestly in our modular flight training guide.

How long does it take to become a pilot in Europe?

There is no single answer, the timeline depends on the licence, the route and how often you can fly.

A PPL typically takes six to twelve months of part-time training. For the professional path, how long it takes depends entirely on the student, availability, pace and budget set the timeline, not the school. On our modular path, most students go from zero to a frozen ATPL in one and a half to four years: full-time at the faster end, training alongside work or study at the slower end.

The biggest variable is flying frequency: weather, aircraft availability and your own schedule all stretch or compress the calendar, which is one reason a school's fleet and location matter. Our pilot training roadmap lays out a realistic stage-by-stage timeline.

What does pilot training actually cost?

The honest answer is that cost is a structure, not a single sticker price. Your total is built from several components:

• -Flight hours, usually the largest line; more hours (whether required or needed to reach standard) means more cost.
• -Ground-school / theory, course fees and exam fees, significant for ATPL theory.
• -Medical, the AME examination (and any follow-ups).
• -Materials, charts, landing and licensing fees and, for professional training, ratings such as the instrument rating.

alpaviation publishes its own price ranges for each programme on its training pages, for example LAPL(A) and PPL(A) packages, and the modular professional path, rather than hiding cost behind "request a quote". We explain how the components add up, and what drives the variance, in pilot training cost in Switzerland.

We do not publish other schools' prices, they change and cannot be verified. Where we cite a figure, it is alpaviation's own current published range.

Is there demand for pilots in Europe?

Long-term industry forecasts point to substantial pilot hiring. Boeing's Pilot and Technician Outlook 2025-2044 projects 660,000 new pilots needed worldwide over the next 20 years (Boeing, Pilot and Technician Outlook 2025-2044). We deliberately cite one current, named source rather than the conflicting "pilot shortage" numbers that circulate online; any region-specific figure should be read directly from the current outlook at the time of writing.

Demand is a reason to train well, not a guarantee of a job, a career still depends on your licences, ratings, hours and how you build experience after the frozen ATPL.

Where does alpaviation fit in?

alpaviation is an EASA-approved ATO (CH.ATO.0147) based at Bern-Belp Airport (LSZB) in Switzerland, training pilots across the licence ladder from LAPL and PPL through the professional modular path. Training in Switzerland adds Alpine flying experience and a multilingual environment to a standard EASA syllabus. If you want to see programmes, current ranges and start dates, visit our training pages, and if you simply want to feel what flying is like first, a discovery flight is the one thing you can book today.

Frequently asked questions