Multi-Pilot Licence (MPL)

The MPL was conceived by ICAO to address a structural mismatch between traditional pilot licensing — designed around single-pilot general aviation flying — and the demands of modern airline operations. The enabling ICAO framework is contained in Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing), Amendment 167, effective 2006, and expanded in ICAO Doc 9868 PANS-TRG, Chapter 4. The EASA implementation is governed by Commission Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 as amended, specifically FCL.405.A (privileges and conditions), FCL.410.A (prerequisites), and Appendix 5 to Part-FCL (the detailed MPL syllabus). An Approved Training Organization delivering an MPL program must hold a specific MPL course approval in its Operations Specifications (ORA.ATO.135), and the program must be backed by an airline sponsor — the sponsoring operator confirms that the cadet will proceed to type rating on the sponsor's specific fleet type as part of the Advanced phase.

The MPL program is structured into four defined phases. Phase 1 — Core Flying Skills — covers basic airmanship, fundamental aircraft handling, and the cognitive underpinning of multi-crew operations; typically delivered in single-engine piston aircraft or light twins, the phase establishes visual meteorological conditions handling capability. Phase 2 — Basic — introduces IFR operations, basic instrument flying, and multi-crew coordination fundamentals, normally delivered in a complex multi-engine aircraft or a Flight and Navigation Procedures Trainer (FNPT II). Phase 3 — Intermediate — develops instrument flying, multi-crew procedures, and initial jet operations, typically in a Multi-Engine Flight Training Device (FTD Level 5 or higher) representing a jet type. Phase 4 — Advanced — is delivered entirely in a qualifying Full Flight Simulator (Level D FFS) of the airline's specific type and transitions directly into a Type Rating course; the cadet exits Phase 4 having completed the Type Rating Skill Test and holding both the MPL and the type rating, ready for line training. The program totals approximately 240 flight hours and simulator hours combined, compared to 200+ flight hours for a modular CPL/IR path — but the MPL is CBTA-aligned and graduates enter line flying already type-rated.

The MPL is competency-based throughout. Assessment is referenced to the nine ICAO core competencies: Application of Knowledge; Communication; Flight Path Management — Automation; Flight Path Management — Manual Control; Leadership and Teamwork; Problem Solving and Decision Making; Situation Awareness; Workload Management; and Application of Procedures. Progress is measured through observable behaviors rather than a fixed hour count in each sub-phase, which means a high-performing cadet can accelerate through phases while a cadet needing additional support receives remediation before progressing. Competency assessment records must be maintained by the ATO and the airline sponsor throughout the program.

The MPL carries important regulatory restrictions compared to a standard CPL/IR. Under FCL.405.A, an MPL holder may exercise privileges only as co-pilot on a multi-pilot aircraft, only on the specific aircraft type on which the Advanced phase was completed, and only with the sponsoring operator. The MPL holder cannot exercise pilot-in-command privileges. Conversion to an unrestricted license requires that the holder complete the standard ATPL hour requirements under FCL.510(a) — 1,500 hours total, including 500 hours on multi-pilot aircraft, 500 hours as PIC (with PICUS credit available), 200 hours of cross-country, 75 hours instrument time, and 100 hours night time — and pass conversion examinations as set by the competent authority. Without conversion, an MPL holder who leaves the sponsoring operator faces significant constraints: they cannot act as PIC on any aircraft, and the type-specific nature of the licence means a change of employer may require a new type rating and re-establishment of the MPL on the new type.

Adoption rates have been below ICAO's initial projections. Major operators running established MPL pipelines include Lufthansa Flight Training (for Lufthansa Group carriers), ANA and JAL in Japan, and several Middle Eastern carriers. The dominant obstacle is the tied-employment model: most airlines are unwilling to commit to a specific cadet before the cadet has demonstrated line-flying capability, and the MPL's strict restrictions create re-sponsorship complexity if an airline's fleet planning changes. Many EASA carriers continue to hire frozen-ATPL cadets through standard integrated CPL/IR + MCC + APS-MCC pathways and deliver type ratings independently, retaining flexibility that the MPL structure does not afford.

For an ATO running an MPL program, the administrative complexity per student is substantially higher than for a modular or integrated CPL/IR. The four-phase structure requires phase completion signoffs, competency assessments tied to specific simulator sessions, and continuous alignment between the ATO's training records and the airline sponsor's crew management system. If phase records are not maintained in real time, the ATO's ability to demonstrate compliance during authority audits — or to justify a phase progression decision when a cadet disputes an assessment — is compromised. EASA's ORA.ATO standards under Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/1119 require the ATO to maintain a training record for each MPL student that includes syllabus progress, competency assessment outcomes, and examiner sign-offs.

The airline sponsor relationship introduces a second dimension: the sponsor's nominated Type Rating Examiner (TRE) will conduct the Phase 4 skill test, and the ATO must coordinate simulator scheduling, TRE availability, and competency evidence packages across two organizations. Phase transitions — particularly the Phase 3-to-4 transition when the cadet moves from the generic jet FTD to the Level D FFS — often surface as coordination bottlenecks when ATO-side and airline-side planning is not synchronised. ATOs running MPL programs with more than 20 cadets in the pipeline simultaneously report that manual coordination of phase status, simulator bookings, and examiner availability is among the highest administrative burden activities in their operation.

Aviatize's training management module supports the four-phase MPL structure natively, with each phase configurable as a distinct training stage with its own syllabus items, required competency assessments, and phase-gate signoff requirements. Competency assessment records — referenced to the nine ICAO core competencies and linked to specific simulator sessions — are captured post-lesson by the delivering instructor and stored in the student's training record. The phase-gate workflow requires the Chief Instructor and, where required, the airline sponsor's nominated representative to formally approve phase progression before the system unlocks the next phase's scheduling; this prevents cadets from advancing without the regulatory signoff and maintains the audit trail that EASA ORA.ATO expects.

For the Phase 4 Advanced transition, the smart planning and booking module models the Level D FFS schedule against TRE availability from the airline sponsor's roster, flagging conflicts between commercial training demand and MPL Phase 4 slots. The KPI reporting and dashboards module tracks cohort progress by phase — showing the distribution of cadets across Phase 1 through Phase 4 at any given time, average days-per-phase against ATO targets, and the competency performance trends of the cohort. For the airline sponsor's training management team, these dashboards can be shared in a read-only view, enabling transparent joint oversight of the pipeline without requiring the sponsor to duplicate data entry into their own crew management system.