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Pre-selection (VO)Practise this phase
KLM Flight Academy selection: stages, tests and how to prepare
KLM Flight Academy is training 80 students to become KLM pilots in 2026, and its selection takes roughly three to six months. Candidates pass a pre-selection, then the BCO (cognitive), SMO (sensorimotor) and KCO (competency) examinations at the Aviation Medical Center in Amsterdam, and finally an interview with the Admissions Committee and KLM's hiring committee. Your own contribution to selection is EUR 335. Entry rules are set for Dutch and EU applicants. Checked 25 October 2026.315
Applications for school year 2026-2027 are possible from 1 January 2026 to 1 April 2027; selected candidates are placed in the December 2026, March 2027 or June 2027 class. Checked 25 October 2026.3
- Programme
- Two-year airline pilot course at KLM Flight Academy; graduates move to KLM as second officer on the Boeing 777/787 or first officer on the Embraer 1705
- Places
- 80 students trained in 2026, spread over four classes (March, June, September, December)3
- Application window
- School year 2026-2027: apply from 1 January 2026 to 1 April 2027 as KLM states it; the selection itself runs all year, and final-year HAVO/VWO students can apply from January 2027 for school year 2027-20283
- Selection duration
- About three to six months in total1
- Selection fee
- Your own contribution is EUR 335, paid before the selection starts5
- Selection costs if you withdraw
- If you decide not to continue after passing phase 2, phase 3 or the whole procedure, KLM Flight Academy recovers the selection costs up to EUR 1,800 (force majeure excepted), possibly plus medical costs it advanced5
- Training cost
- EUR 163,500 for 2026, paid at once or deducted from your gross salary over 10 years at EUR 861 per month (indexed yearly) once you work for KLM4
- Training allowance and contract
- You sign a training agreement and an employment contract with KLM at the start; the contract has conditions precedent, and you join KLM as a pilot only if you complete the course successfully. During training you receive EUR 700 gross per month. If unforeseen circumstances stop you finishing, KLM absorbs the costs so far4
- Training length
- About 24 months: 9 months theory in Eelde, about 6 months single-engine and 6 months multi-engine flying in Eelde, then 3 months MCC and type rating…6
- Selection location
- Pre-selection to the competency examination take place over three non-consecutive days at the Aviation Medical Center (AMC) in Amsterdam; the committee interview is at KLM, Schiphol1
- Retake rule
- One retake only if you first took part within 2 years of your HAVO or VWO diploma and then complete a Bachelor or Master; at least 2 years between attempts and no later than 8 years after the first rejection; no retake for MBO 4 entrants2
- Selection feedback
- After the last phase you receive a report you can download first, then choose whether the AMC shares it with KLM Flight Academy7
- Results timing
- Pre-selection result by email within two weeks; BCO result usually within an hour; SMO result generally within one working week7
About KLM Flight Academy
Based in the Netherlands, KLM Flight Academy is a pilot training academy. KLM Flight Academy is part of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
Training on offer: KLM Flight Academy airline pilot training. Programme partner: Aviation Medical Center (selection). On 28 October 2026 the programme was listed as accepting applications. The link to the pilot careers portal is 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
Train at KLM Flight Academy
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 Flight Academy at a glance
Part of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines- Country
- Netherlands
- Cadet programme
- KLM Flight Academy airline pilot training (open as of 28 Oct 2026)1
What does KLM Flight Academy ask of pilots?
- Age
- At least 17 at the start of training; maximum recommended age 27.5, which KLM Flight Academy applies flexibly2
- Language
- Very good command of Dutch; if you are learning Dutch, B2 is the minimum2
- Nationality
- Dutch nationality or the nationality of an EU member state2
- Height
- 158 cm to 203 cm2
- Eyesight and colour vision
- Glasses or lenses are allowed with a refractive error no larger than -6 and +5; colour blindness is not accepted; laser treatment is possible under conditions2
- Education
- Dutch HAVO or VWO diploma with the right subjects (mathematics, physics, English and Dutch), or an equivalent such as an IB or Belgian ASO/TSO diploma; up to two partial certificates can fill missing subjects; a foreign diploma needs a Nuffic evaluation2
- Other routes in
- MBO level 4 is not accepted directly; it leads in through the Airline Pilot & Management programme at Hanze University of Applied Sciences. Selected HBO and WO degrees also qualify2
Interview and group exercise
KLM Flight Academy states plainly how it wants you to approach the competency phase: be yourself. There are no right or perfect answers; the selection looks at your personality, abilities, aptitude to fly and development potential. The AMC, which runs the first four phases, adds that coaching agencies often teach a trick and that the competency examination is where people get stuck, because they respond the way they were taught rather than the way they would in the situation. It asks you to stay alert to what happens, decide what seems right to you and show that.
That shapes how to prepare. The AMC suggests thinking beforehand about who you are, your qualities and pitfalls and what helps you learn, talking with people around you about how you come across, and recalling situations you handled, what went well and what could be better. In the behavioural simulations you receive information about your role, the scenario and the goal, then handle the situation in a dialogue with a colleague played by an assessment actor, who will challenge you to react to what is happening. The cooperation assignment puts you with other people, often strangers, and one AMC member acts as both facilitator and participant; you solve problems and come up with creative solutions together.
For the committee interview, take the KCO report as your starting point and prepare your motivation, life story and results. Be clear about why KLM and why now; the committee has your file in front of it.17
Candidate reports
Candidate-reported: A candidate who sat the pre-selection in December 2025 had no arithmetic, but a very long personality questionnaire, a planning task in English, eye-hand-foot co-ordination, reaction speed and technical insight.
What you can practise here
KLM Flight Academy asks candidates not to take selection training, and this page respects that. Practice here is about making the formats familiar before you walk into the AMC, which is the kind of familiarity KLM points to when it recommends free online practice for the intellectual capacity tests and suggests looking at the VTS system to know what to expect. Practise the question types, sleep well, and stay yourself.
Pilot Pass lets you practise for your selection with exam-style questions and an explanation for every answer. Make a plan to your assessment date, start with a free set and track your progress per subject. A Pass runs for a week, a month, three months or a year, with no subscription and no automatic renewal.1
Questions candidates ask
Does KLM Flight Academy want me to take selection training?
No. KLM Flight Academy asks candidates not to take selection training, because training can lead to unnatural or learned behaviour and socially desirable answers that hide the real personality. It does recommend free online practice for the intellectual capacity tests and points to the VTS system for the sensorimotor part.
What does practising actually do, then?
It makes the formats familiar: the question types in the BCO and the way sensorimotor tasks feel. It does not change who you are, which is what the competency phase looks at. KLM says the most important advice is to stay yourself and, for the sensorimotor part, to be fit and alert.
How much does the KLM Flight Academy selection cost?
Your own contribution is EUR 335, paid before the selection starts. If you pass phase 2, phase 3 or the whole procedure and then decide not to continue, KLM Flight Academy can recover the selection costs up to EUR 1,800, force majeure excepted.
How much does the KLM Flight Academy training cost?
The total training cost is EUR 163,500 for 2026. You can pay at once or have it deducted from your gross salary over 10 years at EUR 861 per month, indexed yearly, once you work for KLM. During training you receive EUR 700 gross a month.
What are the KLM Flight Academy selection phases?
Pre-selection, phase 1 BCO, phase 2 SMO, phase 3 KCO and phase 4 TC/COVA. The AMC runs the first four over three non-consecutive days in Amsterdam, and the last takes place at KLM Schiphol.
Can I retake the KLM Flight Academy selection?
Once, if you first took part within two years of your HAVO or VWO diploma and then complete a Bachelor or Master. At least two years must pass between attempts and the retake must be within eight years of the first rejection. MBO 4 entrants have no retake.
Can non-Dutch applicants join KLM Flight Academy?
You need Dutch or EU nationality, a very good command of Dutch (B2 minimum if you are learning it) and an education equivalent to HAVO or VWO, such as the IB with the right subjects. A foreign diploma is evaluated by Nuffic and you also need Dutch partial certificates for physics and mathematics B at HAVO level.
When can I apply to KLM Flight Academy?
For school year 2026-2027 KLM states that you can apply from 1 January 2026 to 1 April 2027. Final-year HAVO or VWO students can apply from January 2027 for school year 2027-2028, and you must have your diploma at the start of training.
How many people does KLM Flight Academy train?
KLM Flight Academy is training 80 students in 2026, across four classes in March, June, September and December.
What do graduates do after the course?
They receive a licence and move into KLM as second officer on the Boeing 777/787 or first officer on the Embraer 170.15342
