IAG airline interview questions
103 candidate-reported items · stages covered: BA Speedbird Pilot Academy, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, Vueling, Iberia / Vueling
IAG candidates interview with the operating brand, not the group. The evidence below is organized by brand — British Airways including the BA Speedbird Pilot Academy cadet scheme, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling — because each runs its own assessment.
BA Speedbird Academy applicants report an online application with a written motivation answer and base preferences, an online battery covering detail checking, situational judgement, maths and a passenger-announcement exercise, a recorded video interview, then the Waterside assessment day.
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The IAG airlines selection process
- British Airways: recorded video interview and online tests before a Waterside assessment day — competency interview (50/50 with a CV walkthrough, run with a BA pilot and an HR person), group exercise, an EAGLE/handling capacity test, and a paired A380 simulator assessment.
- BA Speedbird Pilot Academy: online application (written motivation, base preference), stage-1 online battery (detail checking, situational judgement, maths, passenger announcement), then the same Waterside path.
- Aer Lingus: telephone interview first, then the Dublin assessment centre — group exercise, paired A320 Level D sim, technical interview and an afternoon competency panel; cadets report an FPP-format day.
- Iberia (Madrid): HR/competency panel, a timed pass/fail ATPL knowledge test, technical interview and a simulator assessment.
- Vueling (Barcelona): recruitment day near El Prat with psychometric and aviation general-knowledge MCQs, a bilingual HR interview that can switch languages mid-interview, a day-2 role play, and an A320 Level D sim.
Reported IAG airlines interview questions
Every item below is something a candidate reported being asked — no invented questions. Where the report carried a role or year, it is shown.
BA Speedbird Pilot Academy
- BA's detail checking test - 12 questions assessing attention to detail on a 6-minute timer
- You may need to record a preference of British Airways base, e.g. LCY / LGW / LHR - which base would you want?
- BA's situational judgement test - 20 questions assessing judgement and work approach (untimed)
- Why both the Speedbird Pilot Academy and British Airways specifically appeals to you
- How are you actively interested in a career in aviation? What have you been doing so far to pursue this, and how...?
- Record an audio passenger announcement (assessed as part of the online application journey).
- BA's mathematical ability test - 25 questions on a 17-minute timer (reported as the module that catches most Speedbird applicants out)
- Why do you want to work for British Airways — and specifically, why the Speedbird Pilot Academy?
- A written answer that describes your motivation to join British Airways, plus short written questions about customers and safety.
British Airways
- Tell me about the TDODAR / DODAR decision framework BA expects you to verbalise in abnormal situations (Time, Diagnose, Options, Decide, Act, Review).
- Group exercise scenario: whether to change aircraft type on a Caribbean route, managing a cruise ship launch during a storm, or prioritising environmental sustainability initiatives - 6-8 candidates, subtly different information packs, 30 minutes to decide, with an 'urgent update' email 5 minutes before the deadline.
- What is your understanding of Threat and Error Management (TEM)?
- How would you describe British Airways' brand values?
- Tell me about a time you dealt with a complex problem - and why was it complex?
- Group exercise: 8 candidates round a table, each handed a pack of information (each subtly different), 30 minutes to decide what to do with a BA route to a fictional Caribbean island — change aircraft, add frequency, or pull out altogether. 'Obviously it's not about the decision … it's about how you work together.'
- What does it mean to be the UK flag carrier?
- Tell me about a time you handled a stressful situation and how you managed it
- Tell us everything you know about the A320 (candidates structure it as fly-by-wire philosophy, hydraulic green/blue/yellow, electrical architecture, ECAM logic, protection laws).
- EAGLE / capacity test: a computer-based, headset-equipped test — frequency changes, direct-to clearances, altitudes, headings, descent level using vertical speed and groundspeed, ECAM-type actions, systems management, routine monitoring, with 'priority tasks getting busier and busier and busier', sat in a shared room where you can hear other candidates' master warnings going off
- Can you explain the principles of Crew Resource Management (CRM)?
- Describe a time you challenged a captain's decision.
- Walk me through your CV and tell me about yourself (roughly 3 minutes, chronological, ending with why BA now).
- Injected change: five minutes before the time is up, an 'urgent email just come in' arrives and changes the group's decision
- Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult colleague.
- Simulator assessment (currently A380, two candidates flying together, ~90 minutes, roughly 45 min as Pilot Flying and 45 min as Pilot Not Flying): raw data, manual thrust, A-to-B routing with the moving map removed to test situational awareness and workload, autopilot available only above transition, and a 4-5 page briefing pack with pitch and power settings and take-off/approach/landing profiles to be learned cold before you fly
- Tell me about a time you persuaded someone to come around to your thinking.
- Tell me about a stressful situation and how you managed it.
- What does integrity mean to you? (reported as asked early, integrity being a core BA value)
- Describe the A320 flight control system. What are the different flight control laws? (Normal / Alternate / Direct, and the conditions that trigger degradation)
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years within BA?
- Engine failure after V1 on the A320 - walk through the procedure (continue takeoff, rudder for centreline, SRS/V2, gear on positive rate, fly-navigate-communicate-manage, ECAM when workload allows).
- Why British Airways and why short haul?
- Then they asked for a specific example from your flying career where you demonstrated integrity under pressure - 'having the definition isn't enough, you need the story.'
- What does integrity mean to you?
- Candidates note the BA sim profile is deliberately not disclosed and changes each time: 'except for what runway, airports and emergency to expect, because nobody knows as it changes'
- What are the advantages of BA introducing the A320neo?
- Give me an example of when you provided excellent customer service
- The BA multi-task 'flight crew test' - operate TCAS, systems displays and navigation simultaneously across three escalating difficulty levels, with 'sharpen mental maths (speed/distance/fuel)' folded in; BA's own careers page calls the stage a computer-based test of how you react to increasing workload
- Why British Airways rather than easyJet, Ryanair or Virgin Atlantic?
- What challenges are British Airways facing both now and in the near future? (Heathrow capacity, LCC competition, A380 retirement, post-Brexit crewing flexibility, SAF/sustainability targets, IAG dynamics)
- Group exercise is run in groups of 4, and the whole day is one sitting: 'You have the Group exercise in groups of 4 … followed by interview, EAGLE test and Handling test … you get 2 of the exercises done before lunch'
- How would you describe British Airways' brand values / what does it mean to be the UK flag carrier?
- Tell me about a time you provided excellent customer service.
- What do you know about the Speedbird Pilot Academy?
- What would you do if a Captain was not following procedures? (listed by a UK pilot-interview training provider as a standard airline competency probe)
- How do you manage the balance between assertiveness and collaboration in the cockpit?
- CRM in the sim: assessors reportedly set up a situation where your partner (acting as Captain) flies an approach that becomes unstable, to see whether you call it
- You are the Pilot Monitoring on approach. The Captain flying is not following the stabilised approach criteria at 1,000 feet. What do you do?
- Give an example of a time when... / 'tell us about a time when...' (Behavioural Event Interview format, roughly half the competency interview)
Aer Lingus
- Why Aer Lingus and not one of your previous airlines?
- What do you know about Aer Lingus - its history, ownership, and strategy?
- What is the A321XLR and why is it important for Aer Lingus?
- You are operating Dublin to JFK on the A330. Over the mid-Atlantic a passenger suffers a suspected cardiac arrest. The nearest diversion is Keflavik (2 hours) or continue to JFK (3 hours). Walk through your decision process.
- Describe a situation where you had to make a difficult decision under time pressure (e.g. divert vs continue, reject a takeoff near V1, declare a medical emergency) - judged on process, not outcome.
- The morning Aer Lingus session begins with a presentation, then exercises; by lunchtime fewer than half the room are invited to continue to the personalised interviews, which assess motivation to become a pilot plus performance against eight key pilot competencies
- Check any details on your application form / Understand why you applied to us / Understand why you are [here] - Aer Lingus' stated first-stage telephone screen prompts
- Group assessment day scenario: ~40 candidates a day, morning group exercise and panel discussion (survival-style prioritisation, e.g. crash survival in the Alps with 15 items to rank), roughly half eliminated by lunchtime.
- My sim partner was nervous and made a couple of early mistakes - 'I stayed calm, made supportive callouts, and helped them get back on track. In the debrief, the assessor specifically mentioned that my CRM was a strong point. They are not looking for two perfect pilots.'
- Tell me about a time you demonstrated effective teamwork in a high-pressure situation.
- How did you think the Group Exercise went? (asked by the panel after the survival-style group prioritisation task - e.g. crash survival in the Alps where you must prioritise 15 items)
- Aer Lingus FPP group assessment: two group exercises plus a role-play, and the stated purpose is how you interact with others and your crew resource management ('we didn't finish the first group exercise … we all passed')
- Talk me through a conflict you had within a team (STAR)
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Why Aer Lingus over Ryanair?
- What can you bring to Aer Lingus from your previous airline?
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? (a path to an Aer Lingus command seat is expected)
- Tell me about a time you have dealt with a difficult customer.
- Why do you want to work for Aer Lingus?
- A time when you have had conflict with a colleague and how you resolved it.
- Describe the A320 fly-by-wire flight control system and its protection modes (7 FCCs, side-stick non-mechanical linking, dual input logic, Normal Law load factor / roll rate commands).
- Tell me about a time you failed and learned from it (STAR)
- Why do you want to be a pilot?
- Aer Lingus uses a survival-style group prioritisation exercise — roughly 6 candidates per group given a scenario such as a crash survival in the Alps in which you must prioritise 15 items — with the panel observing and then probing candidates afterwards
- Aer Lingus candidates may be asked to retake the online aptitude assessments during the assessment centre to verify their scores, so the cognitive testing is not necessarily behind you by then
Iberia
- They switched to Spanish mid-interview without warning. 'It was not a trick - they just wanted to see if I could hold a professional conversation comfortably.'
- How do you see yourself contributing to Iberia's Flight Plan 2030 strategy?
- Iberia simulator assessment is reported as an A320 Level D full-motion sim assessed on Evidence-Based Training (EBT) criteria — threat management and resilience rather than pass/fail manoeuvres — with Madrid's 2,000 ft hub elevation affecting performance numbers
- ETOPS fuel planning, high-altitude performance corrections, and wake turbulence categories - 'the ATPL test is serious, 100 questions, broad coverage, not just textbook recall'
- Madrid Barajas T4 sits at 2,000 ft elevation — a high-altitude hub that affects takeoff performance calculations; a frequent Iberia technical-interview topic
- Why Iberia specifically (not BA, not Vueling, not Emirates), what do you know about its growth trajectory, and how do you see yourself contributing to the Flight Plan 2030 strategy?
- I had questions on ETOPS fuel planning, high-altitude performance corrections, and wake turbulence categories — not just textbook recall. Brush up on everything, especially performance and met.
- Why do you want to work for Iberia specifically? (not BA, not Vueling, not Emirates)
- Iberia candidates report being switched into Spanish mid-interview without warning — 'they just wanted to see if I could hold a professional conversation comfortably' — and advised to prepare STAR examples in both languages
- How do you account for Madrid Barajas T4's 2,000 ft hub elevation in takeoff performance calculations? (flagged as a frequent Iberia technical interview topic)
Vueling
- Tell me about a time you had to adapt to a significant change.
- Vueling day 1 aircraft knowledge and operational procedures test, plus English written and listening test (day 1 of the 3-day Vueling assessment)
- Tell me about a time you had to work as part of a team to solve a problem.
- Vueling role play: an operational scenario given by Vueling pilots - typically a CRM situation involving a conflict, a delayed flight decision, or a safety/commercial trade-off, often conducted in Spanish.
- Why do you want to work at Vueling?
- A general-knowledge-of-aviation multiple-choice written exam is used as a screening element in the pilot selection day (reported from Vueling's recruitment day)
- Tell me about a time you dealt with conflict in the cockpit or workplace.
- How do you handle stress and high-workload situations?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
- A standard ILS, engine failure and go-around 'nothing unexpected for an A320 assessment' - but 'what made the difference was callouts and communication; the training captain assessed how I briefed, how I called deviations, and how I managed workload during the engine failure.'
- How would you deal with a difficult or disruptive passenger?
- Discuss your language abilities - how is your Spanish? Your English?
- What excites you about the Boeing 737 MAX joining Vueling's fleet?
- Tell me about a time you made a mistake and what you learned from it.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- How do you handle Barcelona LEBL runway configuration, noise abatement and the converging runway operations (07L/25R, 07R/25L, 02/20) that Vueling assessors reportedly probe?
- You are departing Barcelona Rwy 24R. At 80 knots during the takeoff roll you hear a loud bang and feel vibration through the airframe, below V1. What do you do?
- In the HR interview they asked a STAR question in Spanish and expected a fluent answer - 'not classroom Spanish, but natural conversation.'
Iberia / Vueling
- Iberia's timed ATPL refresher test (~100 questions) plus A320 systems questions on ECAM logic, fuel system, hydraulics and flight controls, and a ~60-question timed ATPL/A320 written element
FAQ
- What questions does IAG airlines ask at interview?
- Our research catalog holds 103 candidate-reported items for IAG airlines. Examples candidates reported: “Why Aer Lingus and not one of your previous airlines?”; “What do you know about Aer Lingus - its history, ownership, and strategy?”; “What is the A321XLR and why is it important for Aer Lingus?”.
- What does the IAG airlines selection process look like?
- British Airways: recorded video interview and online tests before a Waterside assessment day — competency interview (50/50 with a CV walkthrough, run with a BA pilot and an HR person), group exercise, an EAGLE/handling capacity test, and a paired A380 simulator assessment. Reports also describe: BA Speedbird Pilot Academy, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, Vueling, Iberia / Vueling.
- Does IAG airlines ask technical questions?
- Yes — 22 of the 103 reported items are technical or ATPL-level. The rest split between personal/motivation questions and scenario-based CRM probes.
- How do I practice for the IAG airlines interview?
- AirlineBridge runs a free voice-first practice interview tuned on the questions IAG airlines candidates report — 10, 25 or 45 minutes, with a scored debrief across eight behavioural dimensions.
- Is this IAG airlines's official hiring process?
- No. Everything on this page is candidate-reported or published prep evidence, collected for interview practice. Always verify current requirements and stages with IAG airlines recruiting.
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