Pilot Hiring Report — September 2026
What the 120 operators WingJobs had recorded by the end of September 2026 were asking of pilots, measured from their own ads — position on 30 September 2026.
Key findings
- 731 pilot vacancies were open at 115 operators on 30 September 2026.
- Outside the US, Canada and Australia, the median minimum asked was 2,000 total hours, across the 122 ads that stated one.
- Among them, first officer ads asked a median of 1,500 hours; captain ads, 3,000.
- Outside the US, Canada and Australia, 43% of the ads that took a position on the type rating did not require one, listed it as desirable, or funded it.
- Airlines took pilots without the type rating in 52% of those ads; business aviation operators in 24%.
- 10 open vacancies asked 500 hours or less — the lowest, 200 hours at Luxaviation.
- 45 new adverts were published during the month and 48 closed.
Quote these figures freely — in an article, a post, a course or a forum thread. All we ask is a link to this page. (CC BY 4.0)
By market
| Market | Open | Operators | Median hours | Lowest | No type rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | 218 | 79 | 2,000 h | 200 h | 43% of 137 |
| United States | 467 | 26 | 2,000 h | 1,000 h | 34% of 90 |
| Canada | 46 | 15 | 2,000 h | 500 h | — |
Medians count only the ads that state a minimum. “No type rating” is the share, among ads that take a position on it, of those that do not require one, list it as desirable only, or fund it.
Airlines and business aviation — international
| Operator type | Open | Operators | Median hours | No type rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airlines | 108 | 42 | 3,000 h | 52% |
| Business aviation | 75 | 22 | 2,000 h | 24% |
By role — international
| Role | Open | Median hours | Lowest | No type rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain | 120 | 3,000 h | 750 h | 44% |
| First Officer | 66 | 1,500 h | 200 h | 29% |
| Second Officer | 2 | — | 1,000 h | — |
| Cadet | 5 | — | — | — |
| Instructor | 12 | — | 500 h | — |
| Pilot | 29 | 1,200 h | 500 h | 50% |
Lowest hours asked — international
- 200 h First Officer C525/CJ Type Luxaviation · closed
- 250 h JETSTREAM 32 First Officer Air Charter Scotland
- 350 h ATR 72/42 First Officers Swiftair
- 500 h Ready Entry First Officer (m/w/d) - Pilatus PC-24 Air Alliance · closed
- 500 h Military Pilot Pathway British Airways · closed
- 500 h Simulator Flight Instructor (m/w/d) DRF Luftrettung
- 500 h First Officer A220 - type-rated or experienced on other types (permanent, all genders) Lufthansa City Airlines
- 500 h Boeing 787 First Officer Norse Atlantic
All current openings at 1,500 hours or less are on low hour pilot jobs.
Most active operators — international
| Operator | Open at month end |
|---|---|
| GlobalJet | 8 |
| Jet Aviation | 8 |
| Luxaviation | 8 |
| Ryanair | 8 |
| VistaJet | 8 |
| Air Arabia | 7 |
| British Airways | 6 |
| Jet2 | 6 |
| Riyadh Air | 6 |
| Westair Aviation | 6 |
| Avcon Jet | 5 |
| DRF Luftrettung | 5 |
Aircraft types most advertised — international
| Type rating family | Open at month end |
|---|---|
| A320 | 27 |
| Global | 15 |
| B737 | 13 |
| ATR | 10 |
| Challenger | 9 |
| Citation | 9 |
| Gulfstream | 9 |
| Falcon | 6 |
| King Air | 6 |
| Pilatus PC-24 | 5 |
Coverage
45 adverts were published during September 2026 by operators WingJobs was already following, and 48 closed. A further 682 open vacancies entered the database with 100 operators added that month: they are counted in the month-end figures, not as new adverts. The report covers the operators WingJobs scans, not the whole market.
Free to quote, with a link (CC BY 4.0). Suggested citation: WingJobs, Pilot Hiring Report — September 2026, https://wingjobs.fr/insights/pilot-hiring-september-2026
This report is free. A coffee helps keep it that way.