What is the Take-Off Cadet Program?

Take-Off Cadet is a comprehensive development program that offers young university graduates the privilege of launching their careers at the pinnacle of the aviation industry under the roof of Turkish Airlines. Aiming to meet the rapidly increasing demand for qualified pilots in global air transport, this program is designed to train the successful pilots of the future.

Candidates who successfully complete the evaluation process for the Take-Off Cadet program are admitted to an extensive theoretical and practical training program lasting 15 to 18 months. Future First Officers who successfully complete this stage then undergo 3 to 6 months of type rating training at flight academies located in Türkiye or abroad, either within Turkish Airlines or through its partners, before taking their place in the Turkish Airlines fleet.

With its holistic approach to talent acquisition, the Take-Off Cadet program was honored with the Gold Award in the "Top Attracting Talent" category at the Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards 2025.

General Requirements

• Being a citizen of the Republic of Türkiye or a Blue Card holder.
• Graduation from at least an undergraduate degree program (formal or distance education).

Candidates graduated from international institutions must submit their YÖK Equivalency Certificates prior to the HR and Flight Operations Interview phase.

Undergraduate studies must be completed within a maximum of 2 years and 1 month following the standard duration of the program. For candidates who attended a foreign language preparatory class, this limit is extended by the duration of the prep school (up to 1 year). Compliance is verified based on the enrollment and graduation dates on the Higher Education Transcript obtained via e-Devlet.

• Being born between 01.01.1996 and 31.12.2005.
• Standing between 160 cm and 195 cm in height and meeting 20 to 30 BMI standards.
• Having completed military service or documenting a deferment valid for at least 2 years as of the training start date (for those not subject to paid military service).

For candidates subject to paid (bedelli) military service, their military status and scheduling will be taken into consideration during the onboarding process.

• Having no criminal record or archived criminal record.
• Not having left or been dismissed from Turkish Airlines, its subsidiaries, or previous employers due to disciplinary issues, absenteeism, health, or other related grounds.
• Fluent and intelligible Turkish speaking proficiency for Blue Card holders or candidates with multiple citizenships.
• Not having participated in any pilot training programs (PPL, CPL, ATPL, etc.) authorized by national or international civil aviation authorities.

Licenses for recreational aviation activities (parachuting, gliding, model aircraft, etc.) are excluded from this requirement.

• For candidates currently employed within Turkish Airlines or its subsidiaries, a minimum of 3 years of service at their current company is required as of the onboarding date.  

To avoid age limit restrictions, the 3-year service requirement is waived for employees born in 1996; their applications will be accepted regardless of their years of experience.

English Language Proficiency Requirement

In order to verify their English language proficiency, candidates must provide documentation of their test scores obtained within the last 2 years, meeting the minimum scores specified below.

The accepted language certificates and minimum required scores for the Take-Off Cadet program are as follows:

• IELTS (General or Academic): 6 (Speaking: min.6)
• PTE (Academic): 53 (Speaking: min.53)
• TOEFL (IBT): 60 (Speaking: min.18)

Candidates who do not possess a valid language certificate at the time of application are granted additional time to submit their documents until the HR and Flight Operations Interview phase, provided they successfully pass the Online English Test administered by Turkish Airlines.

Success in the Online English Test does not waive the requirement to submit an official language certificate. The deadline for submitting the language certificate is the 15th day following the announcement of the PACE-B phase results. Applications of candidates who fail to submit their documents within this period will be terminated, and they will not proceed to the HR and Flight Operations Interview phase.

Proficiency exams must be taken in person at authorized test centers; home-based or online versions (such as TOEFL Home Edition, IELTS Online, PTE Online) are not accepted.

Medical Requirements

Candidates are expected to meet the general health criteria established by Turkish Airlines.

To review the details regarding the health assessment processes and to obtain preliminary information about diagnoses and procedures, you may access our comprehensive information document here.

Application, Qualifications, and Assessment Processes:

Applications for the Take-Off Cadet announcement are accepted exclusively online through the Turkish Airlines Career Portal. To proceed with the process, candidates who meet the application requirements must upload the following documents in PDF format to the "Resume Attachments" section on the Career Portal.

• Transcript: Must be obtained via the e-Devlet portal to document academic background.
• Criminal Record and Archived Criminal Record: Must be generated via e-Devlet by selecting"Official" (Resmi) for the institution type and "Other"(Diğer) for the reason for issuance.
• SGK Registration and Service Record: Must be obtained as a barcoded document via the "SGK Registration and Service Record" section on e-Devlet.

The qualifications sought in candidates for the Take-Off Cadet program and the core competencies evaluated are as follows:

• Having strong communication skills and a predisposition for teamwork,
• Demonstrating problem-solving and decision-making competencies in dynamic environment,
• Possessing high situational awareness and emotional regulation skills, which form the foundation of aviation discipline
• Displaying a keen interest in aviation backed by a fundamental level of knowledge.

REGARDING YOUR APPLICATION JOURNEY

You may access the general rules and process management guidelines that candidates are required to comply with through the application and assessment stages by clicking here.

HELPFUL LINKS & RESOURCES

Guidebook: To ensure all application steps are completed accurately and to review system usage details, you may access the manual here.

Experience & Insights: You can watch our video content where Turkish Airlines pilots—all graduates of the Take-Off Cadet program— share their experiences by clicking this link, or view the Take-Off Talks online seminar playlist, prepared in collaboration with Kariyer.net, through this link.

Digital Assistant: For any further questions regarding the recruitment process,you can get 24/7 support from our digital career assistant, Çevik.

The application deadline is March 27, 2026, at 15:00.

Turkish Airlines prioritizes employee satisfaction and happiness in all human resources practices; and maintains a competence-based,communication-focused culture.

Thanks to its leading employee experience practices and people-centered approach, Turkish Airlines was recognized as one of the Happiest Workplaces in Türkiye 2025 by receiving the “Excellent Employee Experience Award” within the scope of the Happy Place to Work Türkiye’s Happiest Workplaces Research, which identifies the happiest companies.

 Reflecting our commitment to innovation and employee well-being, our UP application was honored with the Gold Stevie Award in the Achievement in HR Technology category, while our UPwards recognition program received the Bronze Stevie Award in the Achievement in Benefits Design and Administration category.

Furthermore, TIME Magazine listed Turkish Airlines among the World’s Best Companies 2025, ranking 314th among the world’s top 1000companies. The airline ranked 1st in employee satisfaction among six companies from Türkiye, 5th in employee satisfaction among global airlines, and was recognized as one of the world’s top five airline companies.

We wish the best of luck to all candidates on their journey to becoming a part of the Turkish Airlines family.