Lufthansa interview process
109 candidate-reported items · stages covered: Group exercise, Panel interview, Technical interview, ATPL / technical written test, Simulator assessment
Lufthansa is not a normal airline interview. The DLR Berufsgrunduntersuchung computer battery in Hamburg — roughly €427, valid two years, graded A–D — is a hard prerequisite before you can apply. Candidates report about 5% surviving the full ab-initio path.
Direct entry runs GU → sim screening (raw-data IFR plus a LOFT sector) → an FQ interview with psychologists. The questions below are what candidates report at those stages.
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The Lufthansa selection process
- DLR Berufsgrunduntersuchung (Hamburg) gates the whole process — ~€427, valid two years, graded A–D.
- Sim screening: raw-data IFR plus a LOFT sector — reported cruise over northern Italy with a medical emergency.
- The sim partner is a Lufthansa trainer who “acts like a robot” — does only what you command and never calls out deviations, so weak crew management shows.
- The FQ interview is run with psychologists; part of it is in German — candidates report “Warum wollt ihr diesen Beruf?”, “Was macht ihr, wenn's nicht klappt?” and “Wie stellt ihr euch den Pilotenalltag vor?”.
- Expect “Why Lufthansa and not SWISS or Austrian?” — group-structure knowledge is assumed. The ATPL block is oddly academic (Eustachian tube function, haemoglobin, dewpoint).
What the panel screens for. A psychologist recommendation is a formal pass gate, German is effectively required, and blocking periods of 12–24 months apply group-wide after a failure.
Reported Lufthansa 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.
Group exercise
- The group exercise: candidates are given a scenario and roughly 20 minutes to prepare, then the psychologist escalates the scenario while you work with the other applicants to share information and reach a solution within a time limit
Panel interview
- What would you do if a senior Captain made a decision you believed was unsafe?
- Did you attend the Bremen information days? ("Ward ihr bei den Bremer Informationstagen?")
- What are your strengths and weaknesses, and how do you deal with your weaknesses? ("Was sind eure Vor- und Nachteile, positive und negative Eigenschaften?")
- [Reported for female candidates] How do you cope with being a woman in a male-dominated profession?
- What do you know about Lufthansa's history and services?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of this job for you? ("Was sind die Vor- und Nachteile?")
- Tell me about yourself
- What will you do if it does not work out? ("Was macht ihr, wenn's nicht klappt?")
- What do you do if a senior Captain makes a decision you believe is unsafe?
- [Group assessment, r/flyingeurope report] The Lufthansa Group group assessment is 'some group game where you have to work out and share information and then work towards a solution together in a certain time. It's less the results that matter but your interaction with your teammates.'
- Why do you want to become a pilot?
- How did the idea of becoming a pilot come about? ("Wie entstand die Idee?")
- What are the medical and English-language requirements to fly for Lufthansa, and how are they kept valid?
- What do you know about Lufthansa's dual-hub strategy, and why is Munich growing faster than Frankfurt for leisure routes?
- How will you finance the type rating?
- Describe a situation where you disagreed with a captain's decision
- Tell me about a time you made a mistake in the cockpit and how you handled it
- You are a First Officer on an A320 and the Captain insists on continuing an approach in rapidly deteriorating weather below company minima. How do you handle it?
- Who is eligible to become a Lufthansa pilot, and what's the difference between the European Flight Academy cadet route and applying as a direct-entry pilot?
- Describe handling an emergency
- How do you approach CRM?
- What do you know about Lufthansa's fleet renewal plans, the 787/A350 introduction, and the relationship between LH mainline, CityLine, City Airlines, Eurowings and Discover?
- Tell us about a failure and what it taught you
- How do you see your career developing, and where do you see yourself in ten years within the Lufthansa Group?
- What do you know about the Vereinigung Cockpit and the current pay agreement?
- You are flying an A350-900 from Frankfurt to São Paulo. At the equatorial midpoint over the Atlantic you receive an ECAM warning for a significant hydraulic leak. Walk through your decision-making.
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years within the Lufthansa Group?
- Describe how you would manage the crew dynamic during an emergency — PF/PM task split, cabin crew briefing and passenger PA
- What would you do if a senior Captain made a decision you believed was unsafe — describe using graduated assertiveness
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- [Reported for female candidates] How do you react to sexist remarks in the workplace?
- How do you imagine everyday life as a Lufthansa pilot? ("Wie stellt ihr euch den Pilotenalltag vor?")
- How would you handle a significant delay with frustrated passengers and crew fatigue?
- [Reported for female candidates] What is your view on family planning — do you know Lufthansa's part-time model?
- What do you know about Lufthansa's dual-hub strategy and why Munich was growing faster than Frankfurt for leisure routes?
- Why Lufthansa? / Why Lufthansa specifically — not SWISS or Austrian?
- Why do you want to do this job / become a pilot? ("warum wollt ihr diesen Beruf?" — FQ interview)
- Describe a situation where you had to adapt your leadership style
- How do you handle criticism from a colleague in front of passengers?
- [Group games, reported] Two group role plays per FQ in which candidates take on different roles and have to solve conflict-laden tasks together; newer DLR versions run these as touchscreen computer games, screens angled so candidates cannot make eye contact, with parallel mental-arithmetic side tasks injected throughout — four to five games of varying length, mixing competitive and consensus-oriented tasks.
- How would you behave as the pilot of a plane during an emergency?
- How do you see yourself working in a cockpit where you are responsible for crews and passengers that change all the time (i.e. as a 'social manager')?
- Describe how you would manage the crew dynamic during an emergency.
- What are the biggest differences between how you would handle this as PF and as PM?
- What do you know about the airline as a company — fleet, group structure, business figures, share price? (FQ: "firmenrelevante Daten nicht zu vergessen, z.B. Flotte, Aktienkurs")
- How did you prepare for this selection? ("Wie habt ihr euch vorbereitet?")
- Why Lufthansa specifically — and not SWISS, Austrian or another group airline?
- Probing reported in the psychological interview: questions about your childhood, your relationship with authority, and how you handle uncertainty
- What do you know about the Lufthansa Group structure and its airlines?
Technical interview
- [DLR GU ATPL block] After a 50 nm climb you have reached 20,000 ft — what is the rate of climb?
- [Verbal technical interview] Explain the significance of V-speeds: V1, VR, V2
- [Verbal technical interview] What is FADEC and how does it manage the engines on the A320?
- Describe the A320 flight control system and explain the different flight control laws
- [Verbal technical interview] Explain balanced field length
- [DLR GU ATPL block] What is the main factor responsible for global climate change?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] The sun is at 40°W — when will it be at 85°W?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] What does a red light from the tower mean?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] How is a gyro erected and levelled in an ADI?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] What is the acceleration error of the attitude indicator during take-off, and what is the equivalent bodily sensation?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] What are the causes of windshear?
- [Verbal technical interview, Lufthansa Group] Explain the principles of lift and the factors affecting it
- [DLR GU ATPL block] What does 'environment capture' / the skill rule mean?
- Explain Balanced Field Length
- What do you know about Lufthansa's fleet renewal plans and the 787 Dreamliner introduction?
- [Verbal technical interview] What licence and certification do you need to fly as a first officer for Lufthansa, and which authority regulates it?
- [Verbal technical interview] What are the limitations of CAT III approaches?
- [Verbal technical interview] Explain how a jet engine works
- [DLR GU ATPL block] How far is it when travelling along a parallel of 60°N?
- Explain the significance of V-speeds: V1, VR, V2
- [Interview style, reported] You are expected to be able to say 'I'm not certain, but my understanding is…'; PPRuNe candidates report that bluffing in the Lufthansa Group technical interview is worse than admitting you don't know, because the interviewers are line pilots and TRIs
- [Interview style, reported] The interviewer opens with a basic question then follows up three or four times to probe depth, deliberately pushing until you reach the limit of your knowledge — they want to see how you handle uncertainty, not just whether you know the answer
- ETOPS diversion planning for the A350 on North Atlantic routes
- What is FADEC and how does it manage the engines on the A320?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] Which part of the ear is responsible for balance?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] What effect do alcohol and drugs have on the body / on a pilot's performance?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] What is a rate-one turn?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] If the angle of attack stays constant and the airspeed becomes three times faster, what happens to the lift?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] What speed range corresponds to a class C aircraft in terms of V-speeds?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] Why does a real gyro 'wander'?
- Describe the A320 hydraulic system architecture
- [Verbal technical interview] Describe the A320 flight control system and the different flight control laws
- Explain how a jet engine works
- [DLR GU ATPL block] If you cool an air mass down to its dewpoint, what is its humidity?
- Explain the principles of lift and the factors affecting it
- [Verbal technical interview] Who is eligible to become a Lufthansa pilot, and what is the difference between the EFA cadet route and direct entry?
- [Verbal technical interview] How does high-altitude aerodynamics affect your fuel planning on a transatlantic sector? (RVSM, ETOPS and long-haul fuel planning are reported as final-panel territory)
- [DLR GU ATPL block, asked as reported] What is the function of the Eustachian tube?
- [DLR GU ATPL block] What is the function of haemoglobin?
- [Verbal technical interview] Describe the A320 hydraulic system architecture
- [DLR GU ATPL block] Which instrument indicates the low-pressure stage of an engine?
- [FQ interview, reported] Why does an airframe's elevator trim / tailplane need to be set — what are the aircraft systems questions you get asked at the FQ interview?
- [FQ interview, reported] How does a V-belt (Keilriemen) work?
- What are the limitations of CAT III approaches?
- [Verbal technical interview] What are the medical and English-language requirements to fly for Lufthansa, and how are they kept valid?
ATPL / technical written test
- [VERDI-style personnel test, reported example] A stewardess who, after a flight through severe turbulence, is completely reluctant to fly again. You need her as a crew member or you cannot operate the next leg — your task is to convince her to do her job again. (The other two tests in that set are described as standard airline tests.)
- [Dyadic Cooperation Test / Strassenbeladetest, reported] Two candidates sit side by side at monitors with headsets and a push-to-talk link and must distribute virtual items to four bridges (or lorries) of different weight capacities. Different weights score different points; exceeding a bridge's maximum weight collapses it and the points are deducted, so it must be reloaded. There are solo runs and paired runs, and across the runs each partner acts both as PF and as PNF.
- Follow-up probing on your written FQ self-assessment and CV: exam results, a failed degree, a gap in your CV, a period abroad, a driving offence
- [IP-BQ ATPL knowledge test, reported subjects] Air Law, Airframes, Meteorology, Principles of Flight, OPS and Performance
Simulator assessment
- [Simulator screening, part 1 — reported profile] Raw-data IFR: an IFR departure, general handling (turns, climbs, descents, steep turns, wind corrections), then you are told to join a hold, work out the hold entry in under ten seconds, then an ILS to go-around followed by radar vectors for a non-precision approach to land — flown autopilot, autothrust and flight director OFF on raw rose NAV/ILS. If you are 737-rated you fly a non-precision approach followed by an ILS with a circle to land instead.
- [Simulator assessment, prep-site sourced] A320 Level D, 60–90 minutes: visual circuits, ILS approach to minima, hold entry and hold, engine failure after V1 on take-off, go-around from low altitude, and possibly a non-precision approach; CRM and verbalised FORDEC thinking are assessed, and a rough first approach followed by an honest self-debrief and real improvement on the second attempt scores well.
- [FQ simulator (cadet-stage FQ, reported)] Screen, control column and thrust levers only — no pedal control — in a small cabin, with a few instruments and a static map on which the flight path is drawn. You fly the course and execute colour-coded climb and descent instructions. Six sectors are flown; the first three are explained practice runs.
- [Simulator screening, reported report from a HAM session] Runway 23, NDB-based north departure, variometric climbs/descents, steep turns, one round of relative wind corrections, then hold entry, vectors, ILS from about 9 miles, go-around at 30–40 ft AGL, NDB 23 approach and normal landing. 'They will push you to the limits, overloading you. And when you begin to feel a little more comfortable, expect some extra pressure, again and again.'
- [Simulator screening, reported exchange] Cabin crew reports the purser has collapsed in the front galley; the captain downplays it as 'just too many drinks the night before'. Expected FO response: agree it is most likely nothing, but ask whether there is a doctor on board and get weather for the diversion 'just in case'.
- [Simulator screening, reported exchange] You plan a circling approach; the captain says he has not done one in ages and feels most confident landing with a 15 kt tailwind. You have to refuse the tailwind landing and argue that you are happy to fly the circling.
- [Simulator screening, part 2 — LOFT, reported] You cruise at FL300–340 over northern Italy and a non-technical event — most likely a medical emergency — requires a diversion. Diversion weather is deliberately poor: some fields have CB, others require a circling approach. You must run a joint decision-making process with the sim partner, brief it and descend towards the field; the sim ends once the divert decision is made. The trainer then deliberately challenges your proposal to see whether you hold it.
- [Simulator screening, mainline, reported] Ready-entry mainline candidates are screened on a 737 Classic after passing the first DLR step; the Lufthansa training captain is in the other seat and the assessment is weighted to CRM, standard callouts and briefings as much as raw handling.
- [Streitgespräch, reported] You are handed a fictional conflict in writing, given a few minutes to prepare and get into character, then argue it out role-play style opposite a DLR psychologist holding the other side, in about ten minutes, with observers in the room. Proposals to settle early are usually rejected — the aim is holding a position and negotiating under conflict.
- [Simulator screening — reported] The sim partner is a Lufthansa trainer who 'acts like a robot': he will only do what you tell him, he will not call positive rate or call the minima, and he will answer the radio but will not change frequencies unless instructed. You must brief, task-share and direct him yourself; one report describes having to set up the frequency and complete a briefing in under 45 seconds.
FAQ
- What questions does Lufthansa ask at interview?
- Our research catalog holds 109 candidate-reported items for Lufthansa. Examples candidates reported: “What would you do if a senior Captain made a decision you believed was unsafe?”; “Did you attend the Bremen information days? ("Ward ihr bei den Bremer Informationstagen?")”; “What do you know about Lufthansa's history and services?”.
- What does the Lufthansa selection process look like?
- DLR Berufsgrunduntersuchung (Hamburg) gates the whole process — ~€427, valid two years, graded A–D. Reports also describe: Group exercise, Panel interview, Technical interview, ATPL / technical written test, Simulator assessment.
- Does Lufthansa ask technical questions?
- Yes — 46 of the 109 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 Lufthansa interview?
- AirlineBridge runs a free voice-first practice interview tuned on the questions Lufthansa candidates report — 10, 25 or 45 minutes, with a scored debrief across eight behavioural dimensions.
- Is this Lufthansa'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 Lufthansa recruiting.
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