Requirements and Selection Process for training in Switzerland - European Flight Academy

Requirements for your pilot training in Switzerland

Find out which criteria you need to meet for your application

Our overview shows you all the key requirements needed to begin your pilot training in Switzerland.
Do you still have questions? In our FAQs, you’ll find answers to many common topics related to applications, requirements, and training. If anything remains unclear afterwards, we’ll be happy to advise you personally.

Please note: Graduates of the SPHAIR courses enjoy special advantages. You can find more information here.

Application Requirements for Training in Switzerland

Language

English:

Fluent, at least B2 level
Assessment of language proficiency: DLR certificate with A or B rating; SPHAIR certificate with English language skills that meet the requirements profile for commercial pilots.
If DLR rating of English language proficiency is C or D or English language proficiency on the SPHAIR certificate is “just below” or “not”,, validation of a B2 language certificate (the following certificates will be accepted: Cambridge Certificate, GMAT, IELTS, TELC, TOEFL, TOEIC, AKAD Language + Culture Test)

Further language skills:

At least B2 level in German
Italian or French preferable

Age (Application)

At least 17 years

Nationality / Passport

CH-, EFTA-citizen, EU-citizens (EU-27 states without restriction / Croatia only with Swiss settlement permit C)

Education / Degree

General entrance qualification for higher education
Federal Vocational Baccalaureate
Admission to a university of applied sciences or a university of applied sciences without an examination
Eidgenössisches Fähigkeitszeugnis (EFZ)

Further Requirements

Certificate by the Deutsches Luft- und Raumfahrtzentrum (DLR, German Aerospace Center) (certificate with the relevant rating must be provided at the start of the application process*) or SPHAIR certificate**
Compulsory military service: Applicants liable for compulsory military service must have completed basic military service (CH: Rekrutenschule (military training school)) or civilian service (CH: "langer Einsatz" (long deployment)) before entering the training program
Height: 160 cm – 198 cm

Aero-Medical Fitness

Certificate need not yet be provided at the start of the application process

Your path to training at the European Flight Academy

Our selection process in Switzerland

The requirements for pilots are high. You need exceptional abilities in several areas in order to meet the challenges of this highly responsible profession.

In our EASA-compliant selection process, we evaluate your cognitive performance, as well as your technical, social, and personal skills. Anyone who successfully passes this process stands a good chance of completing flight school and earning a pilot license.

Our rigorous selection gives you confidence for your future career in the cockpit. You’ll know that you bring the competencies needed for this demanding environment.

Even if you don’t pass every stage: you still gain valuable experience and personal insight. And if needed, you’ll be welcome to re-apply for the second selection stage after two years.

Certificate by the Deutsches Luft- und Raumfahrtzentrum (DLR, German Aerospace Center) (third party) or SPHAIR certificate*

Selection step 1

EFA application

LHG assessment

Hamburg or Zurich

Selections step 2

Pre-Airline

Fit

For a Rahmen- und Darlehensvertrag SWISS/Edelweiss

Medical fitness examination

School & Campus

Airline Fit

Location depends on airline

After the training

Advantages for SPHAIR Graduates

Direct application without a DLR Certificate

Have you successfully completed the SPHAIR programme and obtained a SPHAIR* Certificate? Then you have very good prerequisites to start your pilot career with one of the Swiss airlines – SWISS or Edelweiss. Participants of the SPHAIR courses benefit from special advantages. Further information can be found here.

More details on the SPHAIR programme and its benefits

At a glance

The Selection Process in Switzerland

Before you submit your official application to the European Flight Academy (EFA), you will already complete the first step of the selection process. For this purpose, you register with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) for the DLR Test including the official certificate.

This computer-based aptitude assessment evaluates a range of skills that are essential for aspiring pilots. These include, among others, memory capability, spatial awareness, mathematical and technical comprehension, English proficiency, attention, psychomotor skills, as well as aspects such as teamwork, multitasking and personality traits.

Upon completion of the test, you will receive a DLR Certificate that provides an assessment of your performance across several competency areas. To be eligible to apply successfully to the European Flight Academy afterwards, you must achieve a defined minimum rating.

You can find the specific rating requirements here.

The DLR Test can currently be taken on site in Hamburg, Zurich or Milan. You can decide flexibly when you feel ready for your test day, as you book and organise your appointment directly with the DLR. Since this certificate forms the basis for determining general suitability for a cockpit career, this step is intentionally carried out independently of the European Flight Academy. The costs for this test are an investment in your future career as a pilot and must be covered by you personally.

Here you will find all further information on the procedure and the costs.

Graduates of the SPHAIR programme may apply directly with their SPHAIR* Certificate. Further details can be found here.

As soon as you can present the DLR Certificate with the required rating (or a SPHAIR* Certificate), nothing stands in the way of your application to the European Flight Academy. You can find the necessary documents, requirements and the application link here.

After successfully demonstrating your abilities in the computer-based tests during Step 1 and receiving the DLR Certificate, as well as having your basic requirements reviewed, the next stage of the European Flight Academy selection process follows: the Assessment Center.

In this personal assessment step, we would like to get to know you better and gain a comprehensive impression of your social competencies and personality. This is carried out through interviews, group exercises, and an evaluation of your psychomotor skills.

During the Assessment Center, you will be accompanied by the experienced psychologists of our partner Interpersonal GmbH (Hamburg) or the SWISS Flight Crew Assessment Center (Zurich). You will also have the opportunity to meet Lufthansa Group pilots in person and ask them your questions about pilot training and everyday life in the cockpit.

When training to become a pilot in Switzerland, you will have the opportunity to benefit from a financing model of the SWISS and Edelweiss Lufthansa Group airlines.

The prerequisite in this case is that you receive, in an additional selection step that is called the “pre-airline fit,” a favorable decision (“board positive”).

If you have received such a favorable decision, the airline will provide you with a Rahmen- und Darlehensvertrag, which means you can avail yourself of the funding benefits.

The Pre-Airline Fit includes a supplementary conversation with airline-specific content.

It will be of further advantage to you if you have already successfully completed a SPHAIR course. If your flying ability is rated “standard” or higher, you will be exempt from the simulator exercise, for example.

If you are interested in a SWISS or Edelweiss Rahmen- und Darlehensvertrag, you will already be asked questions about your airline-specific motivation during the Lufthansa Group Assessment Center, which is the second selection step, in Zurich. In this case, no additional interview is required for the SWISS Pre-Airline Fit after the Lufthansa Group Assessment Center.

After the selection process

Your path after successfully completing the selection process

Once you have successfully completed the second phase of the selection process, only one final step separates you from being admitted to pilot training: the aero-medical fitness examination.

Don’t worry: You do not have to be an elite athlete in order to hold your own in the cockpit. We require of you a normal level of fitness. We will verify that you meet the medical requirements. And this much is clear: You may only enter the cockpit completely sober. This is why you have to subject yourself to a drug screening. Once your suitability has been determined, you will receive the class 1 medical certificate of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

It is a common misconception that weak eyesight in general is a disqualifier – there are indeed pilots who compensate for a few diopters with prescription glasses. It is not possible, however, to make any blanket statements when it comes to eyesight and minimum or maximum height requirements since an aero-medical examiner (AME) must determine fitness.

You finally made it and can now register for one of the next open flight-training spots – we welcome you to the European Flight Academy!

After you completed your training you can apply for open cockpit jobs with one of the Lufthansa Group airlines. During the so-called “Airline Fit” your future employer would also like to get to know you in person and reflect with you on your experiences and performance at the flight school. If, after the airline fit, the airline confirms that you would be a good match and if you sign an employment agreement, soon you will be able to take off as a pilot.

*Entry after EFA only possible at SWISS and Edelweiss; the SPHAIR certificate must contain a recommendation for the commercial pilot career; for SPHAIR certificates issued before May 2024, a new certificate containing a corresponding verification code must be downloaded from the SPHAIR website; the SPHAIR certificate must not be older than 5 years on the day of Step 2 in the “Lufthansa Group Assessment” selection process. Therefore, we recommend that all interested parties submit their application well in advance of the 5-year deadline.

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Information regarding the training in Switzerland

Application requirements and selection process for the training in Switzerland

Requirements for your pilot training in Switzerland

Find out which criteria you need to meet for your application

Application Requirements for Training in Switzerland