From zero to a frozen ATPL in six stages
A "frozen ATPL" is the set of qualifications a European airline asks a new first officer to hold: a Commercial Pilot Licence, a multi-engine instrument rating, passes in the ATPL theory exams and a multi-crew course. On the modular route you earn them one stage at a time. This is the sequence FlyInPoland plans with its students.
The six stages
- PPL training. The Private Pilot Licence: your first licence, and the foundation for everything after it. Indicative €12,000.
- ATPL theory. The ground school for the 13 EASA subjects, studied online, including the KSA 100 assessment. Indicative €4,000.
- Hour building and night rating. Flying as pilot in command to reach the experience the commercial licence requires, and adding the night rating. Indicative €23,500.
- AUPRT. Advanced upset prevention and recovery training, flown on an aerobatic aircraft. Indicative €3,000.
- All-twin CPL ME IR. The multi-engine rating, the multi-engine instrument rating and the Commercial Pilot Licence, flown on a twin. Indicative €30,000.
- APS MCC. The Airline Pilot Standard multi-crew course, on a Boeing 737 simulator. Indicative €7,000.
The module figures total an indicative €79,500. A type rating is not part of the route; that comes with, or just before, a first airline job.
Why the order matters
- Theory early. The theory passes are a condition for the commercial licence and instrument rating, and they are valid for 36 months for that purpose. Finishing theory before the expensive flying begins keeps the two in step.
- Hours before the commercial course. A modular student needs 200 hours of flight time, 100 of them as pilot in command, for the CPL. Hour building is where most of that comes from.
- The multi-crew course last. It is the bridge from single-pilot flying to an airline flight deck, and it is freshest in an airline assessment if it comes at the end.
What "indicative" means
The figures are planning figures. They assume the minimum hours and one attempt at each test. Extra flying, resits, exam and examiner fees, the Class 1 medical, accommodation and living costs are on top, and the price that binds is the one in the written offer from the training organisation that delivers each stage.
Paying stage by stage
The route is paid module by module. You do not hand over the whole budget at the start, and you can see what each stage costs before you commit to it. In January 2026 two large European flight schools closed with students mid-course; how far ahead of the training a student has paid is what decides how much is at risk.
FlyInPoland.com plans and coaches your route. The training itself is delivered by the approved training organisation named in your written offer, and the figures here are the legal minimums, not a quotation.
