The Short Answer

The Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) lets you be paid to fly. The Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) is the highest licence and is required to act as Captain of a multi-crew airliner. To fly for an airline you ultimately need the ATPL — but you earn the CPL first and build toward the ATPL over time. Understanding the relationship saves you money and avoids training in the wrong order.

How they relate

Think of the CPL as the licence that makes flying your job, and the ATPL as the licence that lets you command an airliner. In Europe most pilots graduate with a “frozen ATPL” — they hold a CPL with the ATPL theory exams complete, and the full ATPL activates once they reach the required experience.

What Is a CPL?

The Commercial Pilot Licence allows you to fly for hire and reward. It raises the standard of your flying above the private licence, with tighter tolerances and a focus on commercial operations. Under the FAA the CPL needs a minimum of 250 flight hours; EASA modular students need 200.

What a CPL lets you do

With a CPL you can take paid flying jobs — instructing, aerial survey, charter, banner towing and similar. It does not, by itself, let you captain an airliner, but it is the licence that lets you start earning while you build experience toward the airline minimums.

What Is an ATPL?

The Airline Transport Pilot Licence is the senior licence. It is required to act as Pilot-in-Command (Captain) of a multi-pilot, multi-engine aircraft in commercial air transport. Both the FAA ATP and the full EASA ATPL require 1,500 hours of flight time with specific composition rules.

The frozen ATPL

European cadets often hold a frozen ATPL: the 13 to 14 theory exams are passed and a CPL with multi-engine instrument rating is held, but the licence only “unfreezes” into a full ATPL at 1,500 hours including required multi-crew and command time. A frozen-ATPL holder can fly as a First Officer at an airline while accumulating that experience.

Hour Requirements Compared

The gap between the CPL and the airline licence is the experience you build through your first flying jobs. In the United States that usually means flight instructing; in Europe it often means flying the line as a cadet First Officer.

Theory Exams

The theory load is where the two systems differ most. The EASA ATPL requires passing 13 to 14 written examinations covering subjects from air law and meteorology to flight planning, performance and human factors. The FAA path has a lighter written-test burden but still requires the ATP written and, before it, an approved ATP Certification Training Program.

Studying for the exams

Whichever system you are in, consistent study beats cramming. Free ATPL practice questions are a good way to keep the theory fresh between formal study blocks.

Which One Do You Need?

If your goal is an airline career, the answer is: both, in sequence. You earn the CPL first to start working, then build hours toward the ATPL. You do not choose one instead of the other — the CPL is a milestone on the road to the ATPL.

When the CPL is enough

If your goal is commercial flying outside airlines — instructing, charter, survey, agricultural or sightseeing work — a CPL with the right ratings can be a complete career in itself. Plenty of professional pilots fly happily for decades on a CPL.

A Sample Pathway From Zero to Airline

It helps to see how the licences fit together in a real timeline. Imagine a student starting with no experience who intends to fly for an airline.

The sequence in practice

They begin by passing a Class 1 medical, then earn a Private Pilot Licence to learn the fundamentals of flight. Next comes the Instrument Rating, allowing flight in cloud, followed by the theory study and exams for the ATPL. They then complete the Commercial Pilot Licence to the higher commercial standard, add a multi-engine rating, and graduate with a frozen ATPL: a CPL with the ATPL theory complete and a multi-engine instrument rating attached.

From frozen to full

At this point they are employable as a First Officer. They add Multi-Crew Cooperation training, secure a job and a type rating on a specific aircraft, and begin flying the line. Over the following years they accumulate the 1,500 hours of experience — including the required multi-crew and command time — that unfreezes the licence into a full ATPL, qualifying them eventually to command as Captain. Every step builds on the last, which is why doing them in the right order matters so much.

A Plain-English Glossary

The acronyms can be bewildering at first, so here is a plain-English guide to the terms you will meet most often on the journey from student to airline pilot.

The terms that matter

PPL is the Private Pilot Licence, the first licence. IR is the Instrument Rating, for flight in cloud. CPL is the Commercial Pilot Licence, which lets you be paid to fly. ME or MEIR is the multi-engine instrument rating. ATPL is the Airline Transport Pilot Licence, required to command an airliner, and the FAA equivalent is the ATP. MCC is Multi-Crew Cooperation training, and a type rating qualifies you on a specific aircraft.

Putting it together

When a job advert asks for a “frozen ATPL with MEIR and MCC”, it is asking for a pilot who holds a commercial licence, has passed the ATPL theory, holds a multi-engine instrument rating, and has completed multi-crew training. Decode the acronyms and the airline world becomes far less intimidating. Keep the terms fresh with our free ATPL practice questions.

Self-Improver, Cadet and Mentored Routes

There is more than one way to climb from CPL to ATPL, and the route you take shapes both cost and how quickly you reach an airline. The three common routes are the self-improver, the integrated cadet, and the mentored or tagged programme.

Self-improver

The self-improver funds each stage independently — PPL, hour-building, ATPL theory, CPL and ratings — often while working another job. It is the most flexible and usually the cheapest route, but it demands discipline and takes longer because you progress at the pace your finances allow.

Cadet and mentored programmes

Integrated cadet programmes take you from zero to a frozen ATPL in one structured pipeline, sometimes with a conditional job offer at the end. Mentored or “tagged” schemes link a training organisation with a specific airline, so a strong cadet can step almost directly onto that airline's line. These routes are faster and more certain but cost more up front and tie you to one path. The right choice depends on your finances, your appetite for risk and how quickly you want to fly the line.

Ratings That Sit Alongside Your Licence

A licence on its own rarely gets you into an airliner; it is the ratings attached to it that make you employable. Whether you hold a CPL or a frozen ATPL, the same key ratings matter.

Instrument and multi-engine

The instrument rating lets you fly in cloud under IFR, which is essential for airline operations, and the multi-engine rating qualifies you on aircraft with more than one engine. Almost every airline job requires both, so they are usually trained together with the commercial licence as a multi-engine instrument package.

MCC and type rating

Multi-Crew Cooperation training teaches you to work as part of a two-pilot crew, and a type rating qualifies you on a specific aircraft. Together these turn a licensed pilot into an airline-ready one. When you read “frozen ATPL with MEIR and MCC” in a job advert, this is the package being described — the licence plus the ratings that make it useful.

How Airlines View Each Licence

From an airline's point of view, the licence is only the entry ticket. What recruiters really assess is the whole package: the licence, the ratings, the quality of your flight time, and how you perform in assessment.

Quality of hours

Two pilots can both hold a frozen ATPL and 1,500 hours, yet one may be far more attractive because their hours include varied, demanding flying rather than repetitive circuits. Multi-crew time, turbine time and command experience all strengthen an application, which is why the jobs you take between the CPL and the airline matter so much.

The assessment still decides

Even with the right licence and ratings, the airline interview and simulator assessment make the final decision. A strong candidate pairs the correct paperwork with genuine knowledge and sound airmanship — which is why we treat interview preparation as part of earning the licence, not an afterthought.

The FAA Equivalent: Commercial vs ATP

The FAA does not use the term “ATPL”, but the structure is the same. The FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate is the equivalent of the CPL, and the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate is the equivalent of the ATPL. The ATP is the highest certificate the FAA issues and is required to act as Captain at an airline.

Same ladder, different labels

An FAA Commercial pilot builds time, usually by instructing, until reaching the 1,500 hours required for the ATP (or 1,000–1,250 for a restricted ATP with a qualifying degree or military background). The principle is identical to Europe's: a commercial licence first, then the senior licence once you have the experience.

Privileges: What Each Licence Lets You Do

The practical difference between the two licences is the level of operation they authorise. A CPL holder can be paid to fly and can act as First Officer in many operations, but cannot command a multi-crew airliner. An ATPL holder can act as Pilot-in-Command of those aircraft.

First Officer on a frozen ATPL

This is why so many airline First Officers fly on a frozen ATPL or a Commercial certificate plus a type rating: they are fully qualified to operate as co-pilot while they accumulate the command experience needed to exercise full ATPL privileges later. The licence grows with the career.

Multi-Crew Cooperation and the Type Rating

Neither the CPL nor the frozen ATPL alone puts you in an airliner cockpit. Two further pieces bridge the gap: Multi-Crew Cooperation (MCC) training and a type rating.

MCC training

MCC teaches you to operate as part of a two-pilot crew — task sharing, cross-checking and communication — in a jet-style simulator. It is the cultural shift from single-pilot flying to airline crew operation, and most airlines expect it before the line.

The type rating

A type rating qualifies you on a specific aircraft such as the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320. It is completed in a full-motion simulator and is required regardless of whether you hold a frozen or full ATPL. Some airlines fund it; others ask the pilot to self-fund.

Converting Between FAA and EASA

Because the two systems are separate, a licence in one does not automatically transfer to the other. Pilots who train in one region and want to work in another must convert, which usually means additional theory exams and flight tests.

Plan before you train

Conversion is possible but costly and time-consuming, so decide early where you intend to work and train under that system. This single decision can save thousands of dollars and many months — it is the first thing we stress in the how to become an airline pilot guide.

Keeping Your Theory Current

Passing the exams is one thing; retaining the knowledge is another. Airline interviews and recurrent training assume you still understand the principles behind your licence, so treat the theory as a living body of knowledge rather than a hurdle to forget.

Study little and often

Short, regular revision beats last-minute cramming and keeps you sharp for interviews and checks. Free ATPL practice questions are an easy way to keep the theory warm between formal training, and the aviation tools library helps with the practical calculations.

Common Misconceptions

A few myths cause real confusion among aspiring pilots, and clearing them up helps you plan correctly.

“I need an ATPL before I can get a job”

Not so — most pilots are hired as First Officers before holding a full ATPL, on a frozen ATPL or Commercial certificate plus a type rating, and complete the experience on the line. “The CPL is useless on its own” is equally wrong: many pilots build full careers on a CPL in instructing, charter and survey work. Knowing which licence does what, and in what order to earn them, is half the battle.

Cost and Timeline

Because the ATPL builds on the CPL, the costs stack. The CPL and its ratings are the bulk of the up-front training spend; the ATPL is then largely a matter of accumulating hours and, in Europe, completing the theory exams. The single biggest variable is how quickly you build the hours between the CPL and the 1,500-hour airline minimum.

Plan the order

Training in the right sequence — medical, PPL, IR, CPL, multi-engine, then hour-building — avoids paying twice. See the full ladder in our how to become an airline pilot guide, and budget the first licence with the private pilot licence cost breakdown.

Frequently Asked Questions