Cathay Pacific pilot hiring requirements
AirlineHong Kong SARAsia-PacificCPA / CX
Registered as Cathay Pacific Airways Limited.
Verified 15 August 2026
Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong's home carrier, operating long haul and regional Airbus and Boeing widebody aircraft from its Hong Kong hub. It hires experienced first officers on direct entry terms and also runs its own cadet pilot programme for ab-initio candidates.
Applications are made on Cathay Pacific's own site. SkyStudy never collects an application, a document or a fee.
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Vacancies we can see at Cathay Pacific
Nothing from Cathay Pacific is on our board today. That means we are not currently reading an open flight-deck advert from their own careers system, not that they are not hiring: open the official careers page above, which is the only complete list. See what is open at other operators.
What the operator asks for
Minimum requirements on record
Only what Cathay Pacific states publicly. "Not stated" means the operator does not publish that figure, not that there is no requirement, and never that the requirement is zero.
- Licence
- Not stated
- Total time
- 1,500 hsource
- PIC time
- 500 hsource
- Multi-engine
- Not stated
- Turbine
- Not stated
- On type
- Not stated
- Type rating
- Not stated
- Medical
- Class 1source
- ICAO English
- Level 4source
- Age
- Not stated
- Right to work
- Not stated
- Also required
- ICAO Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) or Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) with a Multi Engine Instrument Rating (MEIR), obtained without exemption or conversion
- Also required
- 500 hours on multi-crew aircraft with MTOW over 45,000 kg, or 1,500 hours on multi-crew aircraft with MTOW over 10,000 kg or configured for more than 19 passengers, including 500 hours (at least 250 P1/P1 U/S) in the preceding 5 years
- Also required
- 3,000 hours total flying time preferred, above the 1,500 hours required
Any age, nationality, residency, height or vision criterion above is the operator's own stated criterion, quoted from its own page. Some such criteria are lawful where an operator recruits and unlawful elsewhere, including in the EU. SkyStudy reports them factually and does not adopt them as requirements of its own.
Every published profile is checked by hand against the operator's own careers page, and is flagged for a recheck 180 days after that check. Requirements change without notice, so confirm every figure on the operator's own careers page before you apply.
Pay and contract
Contract type: Not stated. Do not assume direct employment; some operators contract through an agency or on a self-employed basis, which changes tax, sick pay and pension entirely.
Pay: Not stated on the operator's own page.
For what pilots earn by region and seat, with its own sources and dates, see the pilot salary guide. Those are market ranges, not an offer from this operator.
Selection process
- 01Pre-employment medical checkIncludes an HKCAD Class 1 medical assessment.
- 02Background checkIncludes a criminal record check.
Bases
- Hong Kong (HKG)
Fleet
- Airbus A350
- Boeing 777-300ER
- Airbus A330
Worth knowing
Notes on this operator
- ContextThe figures here are from Cathay Pacific's own First Officer (Direct Entry) posting for Hong Kong. It also states that 3,000 hours total time is preferred, above the 1,500 hours it requires.
Provenance
Where each figure came from
Each entry is the sentence the value was read from, on the operator's own site. If a figure here is out of date, the quote is what to check it against.
licence.family
ICAO Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) or Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) with a Multi Engine Instrument Rating (MEIR)
careers.cathaypacific.comhours.total
Minimum total flying time of 1,500 hours (3,000 hours preferred)
careers.cathaypacific.comhours.pic
Minimum 500 hours as P1, of which a maximum 250 hours can be P1 U/S
careers.cathaypacific.commedicalClass
A valid Class 1 Medical Certificate
careers.cathaypacific.comenglishLevel
ICAO English Language Proficiency Level 4 or above
careers.cathaypacific.comother
1,500 Hours on civil aircraft certified for multi-crew operations with MTOW >10,000 kg ... including 500 hours (including at least 250 P1 and/or P1 U/S hours) in the preceding 5 years
careers.cathaypacific.comselection
The selection process consists of pre-employment medical check (including HKCAD Class 1 medical) and background check (including criminal records)
careers.cathaypacific.com
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Important information
This page is general educational information for student pilots and may be out of date.
Aviation rules, training requirements, costs, medical standards, and exam details change over time and vary by country, authority, and training organisation, so details here may no longer be current or may differ in your case.
Always confirm the current details with your approved training organisation (ATO) and national aviation authority before relying on them.
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Last reviewed July 2026