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Pre-selection (VO)Practise this phase
Cadets apply through the KLM Flight Academy selection: a pre-selection, the basic capacities assessment (BCO), the sensorimotor assessment (SMO), the core competence assessment (KCO) and an interview of 30 to 45 minutes with the admissions committee (COVA).
About KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is a full-service airline based in the Netherlands. It flies under the IATA code KL and ICAO code KLM. Its hub is Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS). Its fleet includes the Airbus A321neo, Airbus A330, Airbus A350-900, Boeing 737 Next Generation, Boeing 777 and 1 other type. KLM Cityhopper, KLM Flight Academy, Martinair and Transavia are part of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and have their own pages here.
For future pilots, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offers the KLM Flight Academy. On 28 October 2026 the programme was listed as accepting applications. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines also recruits licensed pilots with flying experience. Pilot vacancies are published on a careers portal, linked in the profile on this page. This page sets out the selection in 6 stages.
The six phases
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Basic Capacities Examination (BCO)Practise this phase
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Sensorimotor Examination (SMO)Practise this phase
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Core Competency Examination (KCO)Practise this phase
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Interview with the Admissions Board (TC) and KLM Acceptance Committee (COVA)Practise this phase
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Medical examination
Where to train for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
One flight school has a published link with this airline. Each entry says what the link is and who states it.
KLM Flight AcademyEelde, NetherlandsAirline's own academyNamed by the airline
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines at a glance
- IATA / ICAO
- KL / KLM9
- Country
- Netherlands
- Hubs
- Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)9
- Fleet
- Airbus A321neo, Airbus A330, Airbus A350-900, Boeing 737 Next Generation, Boeing 777, Boeing 78710
- Cadet programme
- KLM Flight Academy (open as of 28 Oct 2026)118
- Direct entry
- Licensed pilots with flying experience11
GROUP AIRLINES, ACADEMIES AND PROGRAMMESKLM Cityhopper · selection guideKLM Flight Academy · selection guideMartinair · selection guideTransavia · selection guide
SALARYSecond officer and short-haul first officer: Function component of 550 to 1,050 in the pay formula (minimum values, not euros) (set out in the collective agreement for KLM pilots, 2026)Long-haul first officer (Boeing 777 and 787, Airbus A330 and A350): Function component of 1,500 in the pay formula (not euros) (set out in the collective agreement for KLM pilots, 2026)Captain, Embraer: Function component of 1,100 to 1,900 in the pay formula (not euros) (set out in the collective agreement for KLM pilots, 2026)KLM Royal Dutch Airlines pilot salary
Which schools does KLM hire from, and what happens after graduation?
If you are set on flying for KLM, advice from 2025 says you are best off choosing a school from which KLM is certain to hire, with the KLM Flight Academy first and CAE also named. According to pilot discussions in 2024, after completion you may be placed in a holding pool at KLM or move on straight away if there is no waiting time. According to a pilot in 2025, KLM Flight Academy graduates have a free choice of their first job, while other candidates spent years going through assessments across Europe before being hired.1
How do you start a career at KLM after the KLM Flight Academy?
The course takes about two years and ends with a Frozen ATPL (A), a Commercial Pilot Licence and an instrument rating. Anyone starting at the KLM Flight Academy signs a training agreement and an employment contract with KLM subject to conditions precedent. If completing the training is not possible due to unforeseen circumstances, KLM absorbs the costs incurred up to then. After completing the KLM Flight Academy you move on to KLM as a second officer on the Boeing 777/787 or as a First Officer on the Embraer 170. A Second Officer who bid for a First Officer position in 2024 could move up directly. According to an aspiring pilot in 2024, it was said at a KLM Flight Academy open day that some First Officers at KLM study alongside their work because they do not yet work full-time.165
What else should you know about KLM and its academy?
The academy trains 80 students in 2026. The academy trains pilots for the airline and its subsidiaries. A CoCo (cruise co-pilot) relieves the captain or first officer during the cruise, but may not take off or land. Students at the school are trained primarily for the mainline airline; if fewer pilots are needed, the school trains fewer. The academy was previously known as KLS. Training takes place almost entirely on the academy campus, with only the final part at another location. On the campus, students can rent a room with their own shower, toilet, sharing a kitchen and living room. The campus also has two floodlit tennis courts, a football pitch and the clubhouse of a student association. In March 2026 about 15 percent of pilots at KLM Cityhopper were women.12
How does the application process work?
The interview with the admissions committees lasts 30 to 45 minutes. Alongside the selection components, an aeromedical examination may take place to assess whether a candidate is medically fit for the validity of the medical certificate.81
How can you prepare for the selection?
For the sensorimotor test, you can consult the website schuhfried.com and watch YouTube to get an idea of the tests to expect. To prepare for the COVA interview, you can use the report you received after the Core Competence Assessment (KCO). The academy explicitly asks candidates not to take selection training for the Core Competence Assessment (KCO), because this can lead to unnatural or learned behaviour that hides your real personality. One pitfall is not knowing yourself well enough and not being able to describe yourself; a student advises talking to a colleague about your strengths and weaknesses before the selection. Another pitfall is not preparing enough for the intensive selection process, which takes months. The academy recommends that you be yourself throughout the preparation and selection, know your strengths and weaknesses, and be prepared for an intensive process of 3 to 6 months. Admission after laser treatment is possible under certain conditions. The academy describes the course as short and extremely intensive and strongly advises against having a side job. Since 1 January 2026 the academy has used a structure in which the airline pre-finances the training; the financing also covers housing. If the training does not work out due to unforeseen circumstances, the airline absorbs the costs incurred. At the academy you receive EUR 700 gross per month in 2026. After graduating, you repay the training costs of EUR 163,500 in 2026 through your salary over ten years, with a monthly deduction of EUR 861 in 2026, indexed annually; you can also repay the costs in one go.843756
What are the culture, fleet and rosters like at KLM?
Intercontinental pilots fly the Boeing 777, 787 or Airbus A350 to destinations such as Tokyo, New York and Buenos Aires. A typical trip lasts 2 to 4 days with 1 to 2 nights of layover, which means fewer flying days per month, but pilots are away from home for longer at a stretch. Getting up at 04:00 is not unusual for these flights.1
- 1Pilot community insight · 2026
- 2KLM organizes 'Girls in Aviation Day' · news.klm.com · 2026
- 3KLM Flight Academy website · 2026
- 4Future Pilots 11: Bas | KLM Flight Academy · 2026
- 5Frequently asked questions · KLM Flight Academy
- 6Costs and financing · KLM Flight Academy
- 7Admission requirements · KLM Flight Academy
- 8Selection procedure · KLM Flight Academy
- 9KLM - Wikipedia · accessed 11 Oct 2026
- 10KLM fleet - Wikipedia · accessed 11 Oct 2026
- 11Working in the cockpit | Working at KLM - KLM Careers · accessed 10 Oct 2026
- 12Airline pilot | Pilot (KLM Careers vacancy) · accessed 11 Oct 2026
