An airline course is a specialized pilot training program designed to prepare students for a career flying commercial airliners. It builds directly on basic pilot training by emphasizing the advanced skills procedures and professional mindset required to operate large passenger or cargo aircraft safely reliably and according to airline standards.
Typically an airline course includes a mix of:
Ground school/theory instruction - covering advanced navigation aviation meteorology flight planning aircraft systems regulations air traffic control procedures crew resource management and safety protocols.
Simulator training — high fidelity flight simulators replicate airline cockpit environments emergency scenarios and standard operating procedures so that students can practice procedures in a controlled but realistic environment.
Flight training and hours — real aircraft flying to consolidate the skills learned in simulators and theory eventually building the flight hours necessary for certification (usually up to or beyond the Commercial Pilot Licence and Airline Transport Pilot Licence levels).
Soft skills development — airline pilots must be excellent communicators quick decision makers and adept at crew resource management. Airline courses therefore typically include training in cockpit communication with ATC (air traffic control) interpersonal coordination with co pilots and cabin crew real time decision making under pressure and handling emergencies.
In India (and many other countries) the airline course is often the next step after obtaining a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL). From there a pilot may move on to Type Rating (training specific to a particular model of airliner) and eventually pursue an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) to become a captain.
Ultimately an airline course is about much more than learning to fly. It’s about training to fly safely and professionally in a commercial airline environment managing schedules passengers crew weather emergencies and regulations and earning the qualifications to be entrusted with carrying people or cargo under the strictest aviation safety standards.