DEMY
WIZZ AIR PILOT ACADEMY
PROGRAM GUIDEBOOK
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
About Wizz Air 4
About Wizz Air Pilot Academy program 6
Phases of the program 8
Training providers 12
Financial part of the program 14
FAQs 15
Stories from ex- and present students 17
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Who are we?
Wizz Air has been launched in June 2003 and started op-
eration in 2004. Since then WIZZ has become the largest
low-cost airline of the Central-Eastern European region. Our
main goal is to make flying affordable for all citizens, as well
as to create new travel opportunities all around Europe and
to further destinations.
Network Fleet In the beginning of 2020, we offer over 600
low-fare routes to more than 161 destina-
tions of 48 countries and we have 25 bases
in 16 countries.
Wizz Air operates both to primary and sec-
ondary airports to ensure the low fares with-
out sacrificing good connections and fast
customer service.
Wizz Air fleet consists of a young and
modern aircraft family of Airbus A320
and A321, including the NEO. We have a
rapidly increasing fleet size, which ex-
ceeded the 121 aircraft by the first half of
2020. The A320 neo family aircraft will
further allow us to reduce the costs and
ensure the highest standards on board.
Training Center As of October 2018 we opened our new training center in Budapest which will enable us to
train more pilots in the future and to cope with the expansion of WIZZ. Wizz Air Simulator
and Training Center accommodates two Full-motion and a Fixed-based simulator, cabin
trainer, slide trainer and fire training facilities.
The Wizz Air Pilot Academy Program is located elsewhere and using different equipment
(please see at ‘Pilot school’ section). WIZZ Training Center located in Budapest is mainly
used for internal trainings and pilot recruitment events. Our simulators can be programmed
to simulate different airports in various weather conditions and other circumstances under
which pilots can find themselves while flying.
We also rent other simulators all around Europe for recurrent training and other trainings in
order to maximize our capacity.
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Strong and consistent growth
FY20 is another strong year for Wizz Air. We carried 39.7 million passengers,
added 125 new routes during the year, strengthening our position as the leader in
CEE and as one of Europe’s strongest and most efficient airlines. We focus on the
lowest-cost operations, superior customer service and the strong growth profile of
the Central & Eastern European market.
WIZZ300 vision for the next 10 years
Furthermore, within the next 10 years Wizz Air aims to reach the number of 300
aircraft and carry 100 million passengers per year.
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Wizz Air
HIGH STANDARD
TRAINING PROGRAM
EXPERIENCED TRAINERS
AFFORDABLE TRAINING
PLAN
YOUNG AND CONTINUOUSLY
EXPANDING FLEET
Why this program?
In response to market’s
needs and the fast growing
size of the airline, Wizz Air
has decided to launch an
integrated program that
helps and supports as-
piring pilots to turn their
dreams into reality, at an
affordable terms..
The Pilot Academy pro-
gram offers young adults
from no to little previous
flying experience the op-
portunity to obtain their
Commercial Pilot Licence
and launch their career as a
pilot within the Wizz Team.
Wizz Air offers a unique
payment scheme in which
Cadets need to make an
initial payment of the train-
ing fees and the remaining
part becomes due after be-
ing released as First Officer.
For the flight training, Wizz
Air is collaborating with
contracted acclaimed flight
schools with years of train-
ing experience, providing
quality education following
Wizz Air’s standards: Tréner
Kft in Hungary and Egnatia
Aviation Ltd In Greece.
EXPERIENCE
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What does the program look like?
Wizz Air Pilot Academy offers aspiring Cadets a high quality integrated pilot training pro-
gram with the perspective to join the Wizz Air team as a First Officer after successful gradu-
ation. The program consists of several phases that all candidates have to go through in order
to successfully graduate from the Wizz Air Pilot Academy ab-initio training. From the first
day you are considered part of the Wizz Air Team as a Cadet.
After graduating from the Wizz Air Pilot Academy and meeting the general requirements,
you may become an official member of the WIZZ Team as a Pilot Trainee. It may take an ad-
ditional 3-4 months after graduation to be enrolled in further trainings (Advanced and Wizz
Air trainings) depending on operational needs. Once joining the airline Wizz Air will guide you
through the next phases of your pilot training to prepare you for airline operations.
You will be released as a First Officer after successfully passing the final check for release.
This is to prove your readiness that you can fly safely in Wizz Air operations.
APPLICATION
RECRUITMENT EVENT 2 DAYS
Becoming a First Officer at Wizz Air
STATUS
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Application
Application steps
STEP 1: Submit your application on the Wizz Air Pilot Academy website: pilot-academy.wizzair.com. Once completing the application form, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.
STEP 2: Given your profile meets our requirements, you will be provided with the information how to complete the payment of the recruitment fee. Once the payment is completed and confirmed on our end, you will be able to book the exact recruitment date in the application system.
STEP 3: Once your slot is confirmed, you have nothing else to do than prepare for the assessment. You will be provided with all of the necessary guidance by the Wizz Air Pilot Recruitment Team.
Recruitment event
Once you are pre-selected by
Wizz Air, you will be invited to join
the upcoming recruitment event.
Applicants’ flight school
preference will be taken into
account, however, based on
operational needs the assigned
training school can be subject to
change. You will be informed if
your application is to be handed
over to the other training
provider.
The airline selection process we
use consists of several tests and
interviews which allows our
assessors to verify candidates’
flying capabilities and personality
traits before starting the training.
Such a strict and detailed assess-
ment maximizes your chance to
successfully complete the Wizz
Air Pilot Academy program.
The recruitment event in Budapest
consists of multiple stages spread
across consecutive days.
There is a recruitment fee appli- cable before you start the
recruitment process.
You are aged 18 or above
You have minimum high school degree
You have a good command of English knowledge
You have unrestricted right to live and work in the EU or in any Wizz Air
base countries
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The recruitment process consists of these stages on 2 consecutive days
STAGE STAGE STAGE
Pilot Aptitude Test
It is a specialized test that
assesses psycho-motor and
psycho-technical skills of
candidates. It consists of
several steps, i.e.: eye-hand
coordination, short-term
memory, mental arithmetic,
spatial orientation and task
management skills.
subject to successful completion of first stage
Personality questionnaire
This assessment is designed to measure the candidate’s personality, values, behavior and attitudes. Each of the questions are designed by psychologists to identify specific aspects of the psyche as well as personality or behavioral traits. It is based on a EASA regulatory requirement to guarantee a safe flight deck environment.
subject to successful completion of second stage
Interview with the Wizz Air
Pilot Recruitment Team and
Flight School Representatives
This is a chance for us to get to
know you and understand your
motivations for joining the
program and later becoming a
pilot at Wizz Air. Here we would
also like to find out whether your
personality traits match the
WIZZ culture and our pilot profile
expectations.
Collect these until the first day screening:
Criminal record (within 1 month)
Private Pilot Licence, if applicable
Highest level of educational degree achieved
(min. high school)
Valid passport or ID Card
Class 1 Aeromedical Certificate
Collect after completing the recruitment:
Wizz Air financial questionnaire will be sent to you after passing the second day screening.
We are going to provide sufficient time to fill the questionnaire and return it to us with the most recent bank account statements.
The purpose of the questionnaire is to check your financial background.
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Ab-initio training
Candidates who successfully pass all stages of the recruitment process, will be accepted to start
their pilot training in the Wizz Air Pilot Academy program.
This training is an integrated theoretical and practical train-
ing, which will take you from the beginnings till obtaining
your Commercial Pilot License with Multi Engine and Instru-
ment Ratings + Airline Transport Pilot License theory and a
chance to join the Wizz Air team.
The ab-initio training takes place at one of the contracted
flight schools. Both the pilot school and their trainers have
been approved by Wizz Air and follow Wizz Air’s strict quali-
ty standards. They are also regularly monitored to ensure the
quality of the training and implementation of Wizz Air values
from the very beginning.
This integrated flight training is an intense, full-time course
of 17-21months, during which cadets are asked to be relo-
cated to the pilot school’s neighbourhood, so they are able
to attend all classes and practices there. This way they can
be fully focused on studying, while staying under the guid-
ance of their flight instructors and having access to study
materials during the whole time of the training period. As a
result, trainings performed in such an integrated mode en-
sure higher quality as well as shorter time needed to obtain
all qualifications.
Graduation from Wizz Air Pilot Academy
training
Instrument Rating
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Advanced training
After graduating from the Wizz Air Pilot Academy and meeting the general requirements,
you may become an official member of the WIZZ Team as a Pilot Trainee. It may take an addi-
tional 3-4 months after graduation to be enrolled in further trainings (Advanced and Wizz Air
trainings) depending on operational needs. Wizz Air will guide you through the next phases
of your pilot training as a Pilot Trainee to prepare you for airline operations. Wizz Air offers a
sponsorship for Cadets enrolled in the advanced training.
The advanced training consists of two stages:
From the beginning of the advanced training, Wizz Air will provide an accommodation* for
the duration of the training. *in most cases, unless the training is in your base
Wizz Air training
The Wizz Air training phase consists of two steps:
Becoming a First Officer at Wizz Air
After graduating from Wizz Air Pilot Acad-
emy ab-initio training and completing the
advanced and Wizz Air trainings, you may
be released as a First Officer by successful-
ly passing the final check for release. This
is a single flight duty during which Cadets
need to prove their readiness to fly safely in
our operations as a First Officer.
Airline Transition Program (ATP):
Cadets successfully completing Ab-initio training phase will go through an Airline Transition Pro- gram (ATP) by Wizz Air to prepare them for the Airbus A320 Type-Rating Course and multi pilot airline operations. It is a 5-day-course including a 3-day Simulator training.
Airbus A320 Type-Rating Course:
It is a 5-week transition course to train successful trainees for Airbus A320.
Introduction and
Conversion Training:
During this training you will learn about
Wizz Air specific airline operations and
procedures. The training takes approx-
imately 6-7 weeks.
Line Flying Under
Supervision:
This is the last training in the program
during which you will operate the air-
craft under the supervision of experi-
enced Line Training Captains. This training takes around 6-7 weeks.
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Pilot Schools
Egnatia Aviation Training Academy is one of the leading Flight Training Organisations in Eu- rope, providing pilots to many airlines around the world such as Olympic Air, Aegean Airlines, Iraqi Airways and Wizz Air. In addition, we pro- vide pilots to Ryanair, EasyJet, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Air Arabia, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air and others, meeting local Authority and Airline recruitment needs.
The excellent weather and the low-cost envi- ronment of Greece, the unrestricted operation in 2 different bases and the excellent location enables us to deliver consistent training all year round. We operate at international airports with modern navigation facilities rather than small General Aviation airports without the in- struments required to provide airline training.
In all our courses we mirror the Airline proce- dures, methodology and environment (e.g. airline call-outs, iPads rather than paper etc.) focusing both on technical and non-technical skills (competencies).
Website: www.egnatia-aviation.aero
Tréner Kft. was founded in 1992 as the suc- cessor of MÉM-Agricultural Aviation Service, skilled with more than 40 years of experience in flight training, aircraft operation and mainte- nance.
Since the commencement of the first training flight in 1968 more than 650 commercial pilots have successfully graduated from the school. All instructors are Tréner’s graduates to ensure the professional knowledge and school’s val- ues are passed on. Moreover, Tréner involves active airline pilots in creation of the syllabus and theoretical trainings.
Tréner fleet consists of over 15 training air- craft: Cessna, Piper Warrior II, Piper Warrior III and Beechcraft Dutchess. It is a mix of single engine and multi engine machines that allows participants gain a flying experience on multi- ple types of aircraft.
Website: www.trenerkft.hu
Tréner Kft.
Length of training: 17-21 months
Tuition fee: € 61 460
Initially payable tuition fee: € 13 950
Recruitment fee*: € 210-250 *Charged by the pilot school
Training locations
KAVALA AIRPORT NYÍREGYHÁZA AIRPORT
Egnatia Aviation is located near Kavala Inter-
national Airport, which is a well equipped air-
port in southern Europe. The stable weather
ensures good conditions for Visual and In-
strumental trainings.
ACCOMMODATION
Relocation and financing the living costs in
Greece is the Cadet’s responsibility, therefore
the cost of accommodation provided by Eg-
natia Aviation Ltd is not part of the tuition fee.
The cost of the accommodation is payable in
6 months blocks upfront; For those who re-
quire, Egnatia Aviation Ltd can provide shut-
tle transportation from the accommodation
to their facilities. Please note that choosing
the accommodation and shuttle offered by
Egnatia Aviation is not mandatory, however
it can be a significant help for Cadets in the
initial period of relocation.
ABOUT KAVALA
The city is built on the slopes of Mountain
Symvolo, on the Bay of Kavala, making it one
of the most picturesque places of the region.
Kavala offers its visitors beautiful beaches,
landscapes and historical monuments which
makes the city really enjoyable after a long
day of studying. Despite tourist attractions,
you can find there many bars and restau-
rants, sport centers, cinema and other facili-
ties that make this city a dream location for
your ab-initio pilot training.
Nyíregyháza Airport (LHNY) is a public air-
port in Eastern Hungary. A 1000 m paved
runway ensures year-round operation.
Thanks to seasonality of weather in Hunga-
ry, it is great place to learn flying in various
weather condition.
ACCOMMODATION
Relocation and financing the living costs in
Hungary is the Cadet’s responsibility, there-
fore the cost of accommodation provided by
Tréner Kft. is not part of the tuition fee. Tréner
will provide assistance with finding accom-
modation in Nyíregyháza. Hotel Sandra is
the main accommodation partner, providing
a limited number of places in double rooms.
Affordable alternative accommodation will
be offered if Hotel Sandra is fully booked.
Please note that choosing the accommoda-
tion offered by Tréner Kft. is not mandatory,
however it can be a significant help for Ca-
dets in the initial period of relocation.
ABOUT NYÍREGYHÁZA
The city is full of green space but also plac-
es to socialize with others and relax during
breaks from the training. With many bars
and restaurants, the city has a great college
campus environment. Living costs are lower
than the EU average, making living here even
more affordable. One of the main attractions
of the city is a zoo located only 5 km from
the center. Around the city there can be also
found 5 spa centers with swimming pools,
thermal pools and saunas.
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Financials
The total tuition fee of the Ab-Initio training is € 61 460. This fee doesn’t cover costs such as reme-
dial trainings, accommodation or travel expenses, nor the Advanced training or Wizz Air training.
Out of the total training fee you will have to pay upfront € 13 950. This part of the fee covers the
first phase of the training program of approximately 5 months, including part of the ATPL(A) the-
ory and around 20hrs of flight training.
After this phase you will undergo a phase check. Only cadets successfully completing the phase
check, will be able to participate in the second phase of the Ab-initio training.
If you pass the check and comply with the terms of the program, you will start paying the remain-
der of the tuition fee, that is € 47 510, only once you are released as First Officer in Wizz Air.
This payment will be in instalments:
*Loyalty bonus: the last five instalments, amounting to € 5000 of the fees will be waived if you comply with
the terms of the agreement especially if you maintain your employment at Wizz Air as a pilot for 5 years.
How long is the deferred payment period?
The full deferred payment term is 65 months. Any breach of the contract will make full out-
standing balance payable with short notice. Early payments are possible, details will be shown
in the training agreement.
When do I need to pay the deferred payment?
If you comply with the training agreement, during the entire term of the training there is a
grace period, so you start paying the deferred payment in monthly instalments when you
completed all the required trainings and are released as a First Officer at Wizz Air. Detailed
payment schedule will be available with the training agreement documentation.
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FAQ
Application
Do i need to have previous flying experience to apply for the program?
No, you don’t need to have. However, applicants with previous flying experience may also
be acceptable to the Wizz Air Pilot Academy. Your previous experience may be credited up
to a maximum of 20 hours and up to € 5000. You can discuss your individual case with our
colleagues during Open days or Recruitment events.
Are there any further criteria that I need to fulfill besides the minimum requirements?
You need to be able to swim 50 m without any help. During your training at Wizz Air you have
to undertake an emergency training, including swimming exercise.
What happens if I don’t comply with the contract terms?
Any breach of the contract will make full outstanding balance of the fees incurred thus far
payable with short notice.
Recruitment
Why is there a recruitment process?
The recruitment process aims to maximize your success in completing the Wizz Air Pilot
Academy program from the very beginning.
Where and when do the recruitment sessions take place?
The recruitment events are held in Budapest on a regular basis. The exact information
about the upcoming events will be emailed by the flight school in its invitation letter.
How shall I prepare for the recruitment event?
Besides collecting the required documentation, it is advised to look after some
pilot aptitude tests available on the Internet. Most important is to come relaxed and
well-rested.
How long does the recruitment event take?
The recruitment event is a 3 stage process occurring on consecutive days at Wizz Air
Training Centre in Budapest. The first 2 stages will take 1 day (the exact timing will be
included in your invitation letter). After successfully passing the first day screening, the
second day screening event takes 1 day right after the first day screening.
Is there any recruitment fee that I need to pay?
Yes, there is. You will be informed about the details by the pilot school in the invitation
letter as well as you can find the relevant information in the ‘Pilot schools’ part of this
brochure.
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Training
Can I work or study while I am on the training?
No, you cannot. The ab-initio training is a full-time training, which requires Cadets to be
fully dedicated and focused on the training.
Employment
When will I become Wizz Air employee?
If you successfully complete the ab-initio training course with either contracted flight
school and fulfil all other requirements it is Wizz Air’s intention to invite you to partici-
pate at further trainings organized by Wizz Air during which you may be employed as a
trainee. It may take an additional 3-4 months after graduation to be enrolled in further
trainings (Advanced and Wizz Air trainings) depending on operational needs. Once you
receive Wizz Air’s flight check for release and fulfil all other requirements, it is Wizz Air’s
intention to offer you employment as First Officer by Wizz Air (subject to further terms
and conditions of the loan agreement).
We are looking forward to welcoming you on board!
My life at and after flight school...
Bartosz Matys, First Officer
“One day I was told that Wizz Air is announcing their brand
new Cadet program, special on the market. I have decided
that I have to give myself a chance of actually fulfilling my
lifetime dream! Now I am First Officer graduated as one of
the first cadets of the Wizz Air Pilot Academy. What I am
certain about, is that sometimes it just takes one second
to completely change your life. I took the chance, why
wouldn’t you?”
Adam Marczuk, Captain
Adam joined Wizz Air in 2010 and is currently employed as
a Captain based at his local airport in Warsaw. His role at
WIZZ also offers Adam the opportunity to participate in
open days and recruitment events. As for how he
describes the role to prospective new colleagues, Adam
says that it’s simple. “You are joining a fast-growing, excit-
ing and supportive company with a real variety of routes
to fly. We’re a happy team and a smile is always met with a
smile by my colleagues.”
Ákos Pethes, Captain
“Working only one year in general aviation after gradua-
tion, I was already given the chance to join Wizz Air. My
past seven years were spent in Wizz and I can truly say that
it has been a great adventure. I spent four years on the right
hand seat, then became a captain. In the meantime I had
the chance to try myself in different fields in the company:
I have been a CRM trainer, a ground instructor in the Wizz
ATO, and presently I am fulfilling the duty of performance
pilot.”
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