EASA ATPL hour requirements: the 1,500 hours in FCL.510.A
Checked against the sources below on 29 October 2026. How these guides are written
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To be issued an EASA ATPL(A) you need 1,500 hours of flight time in aeroplanes under FCL.510.A(b), including 500 hours in multi-pilot operations, 500 hours as PIC under supervision (or 250 hours as PIC, or 250 hours with at least 70 as PIC and the rest PICUS), 200 hours cross-country, 75 hours of instrument time and 100 hours at night. Up to 100 hours may come from an FFS and FNPT, no more than 25 of them in the FNPT. FCL.500 sets the minimum age at 21.
- Total flight time
- 1,500 h in aeroplanes
- Completed before the ATPL skill test
- FCL.510.A(b), (d)
- Multi-pilot operations
- 500 h on aeroplanes
- Part of the 1,500 h
- FCL.510.A(b)(1)
- Command time
- 500 h PICUS, or 250 h PIC, or 250 h with at least 70 h PIC and the rest PICUS
- Part of the 1,500 h
- FCL.510.A(b)(2)
- Cross-country
- 200 h, at least 100 h of it as PIC or PICUS
- Part of the 1,500 h
- FCL.510.A(b)(3)
- Instrument time
- 75 h, no more than 30 h of it instrument ground time
- Part of the 1,500 h
- FCL.510.A(b)(4)
- Night
- 100 h as PIC or co-pilot
- Part of the 1,500 h
- FCL.510.A(b)(5)
- Simulator credit
- Up to 100 h in an FFS and FNPT, of which no more than 25 h in an FNPT
- Counts toward the 1,500 h
- FCL.510.A(b)
What FCL.510.A(b) says
The experience paragraph reads: "Applicants for an ATPL(A) shall have completed a minimum of 1 500 hours of flight time in aeroplanes, including at least: (1) 500 hours in multi-pilot operations on aeroplanes; (2)(i) 500 hours as PIC under supervision; or (ii) 250 hours as PIC; or (iii) 250 hours, including at least 70 hours as PIC, and the remaining as PIC under supervision; (3) 200 hours of cross-country flight time of which at least 100 hours shall be as PIC or as PIC under supervision; (4) 75 hours of instrument time of which not more than 30 hours may be instrument ground time; and (5) 100 hours of night flight as PIC or co-pilot."
The sub-totals sit inside the 1,500 hours ("including at least"), so one hour can count on several lines. A night sector on a multi-pilot type flown as PICUS between two airfields can add to the multi-pilot, command, cross-country and night lines at once. FCL.510.A(d) adds that the experience "shall be completed before the skill test for the ATPL(A) is taken".
The command line has three routes, and pilots misread it often. With no PIC time at all you need 500 hours of PICUS. With 70 hours or more of PIC, 250 hours of PIC and PICUS combined is enough, provided at least 70 of the 250 are PIC. With 250 hours of PIC you need no PICUS.
What counts as multi-pilot, PICUS, cross-country and instrument time
FCL.010 defines "multi-pilot operation" as "an operation requiring at least two pilots using multi-crew cooperation in either a multi-pilot or a single-pilot aircraft". The same section defines "cross-country" as "a flight between a point of departure and a point of arrival following a pre-planned route, using standard navigation procedures". Part-FCL sets no minimum distance.
PICUS is "a co-pilot performing, under the supervision of the pilot-in-command, the duties and functions of a pilot-in-command" (FCL.010). AMC1 FCL.050(b)(5) lets a co-pilot log PICUS time "provided that the method of supervision is acceptable to the competent authority" and when the PIC did not need to intervene in the interest of safety. AMC1 FCL.050(b)(1)(v) also asks for the PICUS time to be countersigned by the PIC. In airline practice the operator usually sets how PICUS is supervised and recorded, so check its procedure before you count the hours.
Instrument time is "instrument flight time or instrument ground time". Instrument flight time is the time you control the aircraft "solely by reference to instruments", and instrument ground time is instruction in simulated instrument flight in an FSTD. Of your 75 hours, no more than 30 can be ground time.
How much simulator time counts toward the 1,500 hours
FCL.510.A(b) closes with: "Of the 1500 hours of flight time, up to 100 hours of flight time may have been completed in an FFS and FNPT. Of these 100 hours, only a maximum of 25 hours may be completed in an FNPT." A pilot from an integrated course with 40 hours of FNPT time can therefore count 25 of them, plus up to 75 hours of FFS time from type rating training or recurrent checks.
The 30-hour cap on instrument ground time in (b)(4) is a separate limit from the 100-hour device allowance, and your authority checks both when it assesses the application. Log each simulator session with its device type and qualification, as AMC1 FCL.050(a)(3) asks, so the FFS and FNPT totals can be shown apart.
Prerequisites, age, theory exams and the skill test
FCL.510.A(a) requires an MPL, or a CPL(A) with a multi-engine IR for aeroplanes, in which case "the applicant shall also have received instruction in MCC". FCL.500 sets the minimum age: "Applicants for an ATPL shall be at least 21 years of age." FCL.505(b) adds that you must meet the type rating requirements for the aircraft used in the skill test.
FCL.520.A requires a skill test under Appendix 9, in the aeroplane or "an adequately qualified FFS representing the same type". AMC1 FCL.520.A says the ATPL skill test may also serve as the proficiency check that revalidates the type rating used, which is why many operators fold it into a recurrent check.
Your ATPL theory passes do not run on a fixed clock while you build hours. FCL.025(c)(2) keeps them "valid for the issue of an ATPL for a period of 7 years from the last validity date of: (i) an IR entered in the licence". Keep the IR valid and the theory credit stays alive.
Credit from other licences
FCL.510.A(c)(1) credits holders of other pilot licences with up to 30 hours flown as PIC on TMGs or sailplanes, and with 50% of all the flight time requirements of paragraph (b) for helicopter time. Flight engineers receive 50% of their flight engineer time, up to 250 hours, under (c)(2).
In the text as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/2076, point (c)(3) also credits holders of a restricted type rating issued under FCL.720.A(c) with the time flown on that rating, up to 250 hours.
Mistakes pilots make
- Treating 250 hours of PICUS as enough. With no PIC time, FCL.510.A(b)(2)(i) needs 500 hours of PICUS; the 250-hour routes need at least 70 hours as PIC.
- Logging PICUS without the PIC's countersignature or outside a supervision method your authority accepts. AMC1 FCL.050 sets both conditions, and an examiner checking your application will look for them.
- Counting more than 25 hours of FNPT time, or more than 100 hours of FFS and FNPT time combined, toward the 1,500 hours.
- Counting time in a single-pilot aeroplane as multi-pilot because two pilots were on board. FCL.010 counts it only when the operation required two pilots using multi-crew cooperation.
- Letting the IR lapse for years while building hours. FCL.025(c)(2) runs the 7-year ATPL theory credit from the last validity date of the IR in your licence.
What Off Chocks tracks
- The ATPL requirements on the Currency page and the Licence Progression widget measure your logged total, multi-pilot, cross-country, instrument and night time against the FCL.510.A figures, with simulator time capped at 100 h and device instrument time at 30 h. Night leaves out dual and helicopter time. The bars do not check the 25 h FNPT sub-limit or add the FCL.510.A(c)(1) helicopter credit.
- The command bar tests the three FCL.510.A(b)(2) routes (500 h PICUS, 250 h PIC, or 250 h with at least 70 h PIC) in aeroplane time and names the route you are closest to.
- Cross-country time is the figure you type, or, when you leave it blank, a 50 nm line between your departure and arrival airports. Part-FCL sets no distance, so type the cross-country time for shorter planned routes.
- Export, Experience Summary prints PIC, PICUS, night, instrument, cross-country, multi-engine and simulator totals for an application or an airline form.
Common questions
- Can simulator time count toward the EASA ATPL 1,500 hours?
- Yes, up to 100 hours in an FFS and FNPT, of which no more than 25 hours in an FNPT (FCL.510.A(b)). Separately, no more than 30 of the 75 instrument hours may be instrument ground time.
- Does PICUS count as PIC for the EASA ATPL?
- It counts on its own route. FCL.510.A(b)(2) accepts 500 hours of PICUS, or 250 hours that include at least 70 hours as PIC with the rest PICUS. PICUS also counts toward the 100 hours of PIC or PICUS cross-country.
- How old do I need to be for an EASA ATPL?
- 21. FCL.500: "Applicants for an ATPL shall be at least 21 years of age."
- Do my ATPL theory exams expire?
- For the issue of an ATPL they stay valid for 7 years from the last validity date of an IR entered in your licence (FCL.025(c)(2)). An IR you keep revalidating keeps them alive.
- Do I need a separate skill test to convert my CPL to an ATPL?
- Yes. FCL.520.A requires an ATPL skill test under Appendix 9 in the aeroplane or an FFS of the same type. AMC1 FCL.520.A lets that test also serve as the proficiency check for the type rating used.
Sources
- EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, October 2026 revision: FCL.510.A ATPL(A), prerequisites, experience and crediting
- EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, October 2026 revision: FCL.500 ATPL minimum age and FCL.505 privileges
- EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, October 2026 revision: FCL.010 Definitions
- EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, October 2026 revision: FCL.050 and AMC1 FCL.050 Recording of flight time
- EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, October 2026 revision: FCL.025 Theoretical knowledge examinations
This is a plain-words summary to help you keep your own records, not legal advice. The regulation and your operator's procedures always take precedence.