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A photograph from FlyBy Aviation Academy

Country guide

Spain

Europe

One all-inclusive fee, one EASA license: integrated training in Burgos with accommodation and meals in the price.

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  • EUR 81k–90k Total budget, estimated
  • 14–20 Months of training
  • EASA CPL (frozen ATPL) License
  • Estancia por estudios Student visa

01 Overview

Flight training in Spain.

Spain is a popular place to train for an EASA licence, and for an international student its appeal is easy to explain: the licence is the standard EASA one, valid across the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, northern Spain flies year-round from quiet airports, and the price can be a single number. FlyBy Aviation Academy, which trains from Burgos and Logroño and describes itself as the largest approved training organisation in Spain, sells its integrated ATPL all-inclusive: the training, your own room, three meals a day and the airport shuttle in one fee. For a family comparing offers from several countries, that removes the line item that usually wrecks the comparison.

Key facts

Primary license
EASA CPL with multi-engine instrument rating and frozen ATPL, valid across the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland
Typical duration
From 14 months (integrated ATPL at FlyBy)
Course fee (integrated ATPL at FlyBy)
From EUR 69,500 training only (about USD 78,000), from EUR 79,500 all-inclusive (about USD 89,200)
English requirement
ICAO Level 4 (training in English, Spanish not required)
Medical requirement
EASA Class 1 medical (AESA-accredited AeMC)
Training base
Burgos (LEBG) and Logroño-Agoncillo (LELO), northern Spain
Visa for non-EU students
Long-stay study visa (estancia por estudios) plus TIE residence card; 18 or older for pilot training
Regulator
AESA (Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aerea), under EASA rules

02 Costs

What training in Spain costs.

FlyBy publishes two prices for its integrated ATPL from 14 months: from EUR 69,500 (about USD 78,000) for training only, and from EUR 79,500 (about USD 89,200) all-inclusive. The training covers the flying, simulators, upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT), night VFR, the airline-standard MCC course, uniform and equipment. The all-inclusive package adds your own room in student housing in Burgos or Logroño, three meals a day, seven days a week, the shuttle to the airfield, the initial Class 1 medical, one attempt at each ATPL theory exam and two skill tests.

The EUR 10,000 gap between the two is roughly what 14 months of a modest room and food cost in Burgos, so the all-inclusive package is less about saving money than about knowing the total in advance. When you compare schools, compare what each number contains, not the number itself.

Outside either package: the visa and residence card, health insurance, your flights to Spain, personal spending, any exam resits and, later, any licence conversion at home. Budget for those separately. FlyBy also sells a Cadet Program that adds a flight instructor course and a year of paid instructing at the academy, from EUR 91,400 (about USD 102,600).

Estimated costs · EUR

  • Course fee: integrated ATPL at FlyBy From EUR 69,500 (about USD 78,000) for training only, without room, meals or airport transport. From EUR 79,500 (about USD 89,200) all-inclusive: your own room in student housing in Burgos or Logroño, three meals a day, the airport shuttle, the initial Class 1 medical, one attempt at each ATPL theory exam and two skill tests. Confirm the current package and exactly what it contains with the school before signing. Estimated range EUR 69,500–79,500
  • Rent, food and local transport (training-only package) Nothing on the all-inclusive package. On the training-only package, plan for this every month of the course: these are the figures our budget estimator uses for Spain (USD 820-1,200). Burgos is cheaper than Madrid or Barcelona: a one-bedroom flat outside the centre lists at about EUR 575 a month (Numbeo, October 2026), and a shared room costs less. Estimated range EUR 730–1,070 per month
  • Personal spending Phone, clothes, leisure and travel. Applies on either package. Estimated range EUR 150–300 per month
  • EASA Class 1 medical (initial) Included in the FlyBy all-inclusive package. Otherwise you pay the centre directly; centres set their own prices, so treat this as a rough guide and ask for a quote. The initial examination must be done at an aeromedical centre (AeMC). Do it BEFORE you pay any tuition deposit. Estimated range EUR 350–650
  • Student visa and TIE residence card The national visa fee is about EUR 90 at most consulates, plus the TIE card fee, sworn translations into Spanish, apostilles and the criminal record certificate. Varies by nationality and consulate. Estimated range EUR 150–400
  • Health insurance Private insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, with no co-payments, no waiting periods and no coverage limits, is a visa requirement. Travel insurance is not accepted. Student policies typically cost EUR 40-90 a month. Estimated range EUR 450–1,100 per year
  • ATPL exam fees and resits The FlyBy all-inclusive package pays one attempt at each ATPL theory exam and two skill tests, so this is only resits. On the training-only package, ask the school what the fee covers. Estimated range EUR 0–1,200
  • Flights and initial setup Return flights from Asia-Pacific plus the first weeks of setup. Burgos is about two and a half hours from Madrid by road or rail; Bilbao airport is closer. Estimated range EUR 800–1,800

Estimates as of October 2026: verify every figure with the school before you commit. The estimated total budget adds the course fee, 12 months of living costs and the fixed costs in the table for the visa, the medical, exams and insurance; a longer course adds the living costs of the extra months. The total covers both FlyBy packages: training only with your own living costs, or all-inclusive with room and meals. FlyBy's prices and package contents, Spanish visa fees and the IPREM change, so check the visa requirements with the Spanish consulate for your country. USD figures use the exchange rate on our site in October 2026.

Your own total for the route and the school you have in mind, living costs included: an honest range in about 30 seconds, no email needed.

Estimate your budget for Spain

03 Visa

Your student visa for Spain.

Spain is in the EU and the Schengen Area. Non-EU students staying longer than 90 days need a long-stay study visa (estancia por estudios), applied for at the Spanish consulate or visa centre for the country where you live once the school has accepted you. For a stay over six months you then request a TIE residence card at the police within one month of arrival.

Spain's immigration rules changed on 20 May 2025 (Royal Decree 1155/2024). Pilot training at a flight school is not a university degree, so it comes under the rules' training activities, which include training that leads to a professional licence. On that route you must be 18 or older, the permit runs for up to a year and is then extended once in Spain, and it does not include the right to work. Confirm the category with the consulate when you apply.

The financial requirement is 100 percent of the IPREM for every month of the stay, EUR 600 a month in 2026 (about USD 670), so EUR 7,200 (about USD 8,100) for a year. Money set aside for tuition does not count towards it. The rules make an exception when your accommodation is paid in advance for the whole stay, as it is on an all-inclusive package, so ask the consulate what it then expects. Apply at least two months before the course starts; three to four months is safer. The school and your Aviation Connect advisor walk you through the document list.

Estancia por estudios

Long-stay study visa for stays over 90 days

The route for the full integrated course. Apply at the Spanish consulate or visa centre for your country of residence at least two months before the start, once the school has accepted you. For a stay over six months you then request a TIE residence card at the police within one month of arrival. For pilot training the permit runs for up to a year and is extended once in Spain, which covers a course from 14 months.

Who can apply

  • Aged 18 or older: the training route has no exception for minors
  • Acceptance letter from the school and proof that the registration or course fee is paid
  • Proof of funds of 100 percent of the IPREM, EUR 600 a month in 2026, for the stay, on top of the money for tuition
  • Private health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, with no co-payments, no waiting periods and no coverage limits; travel insurance is not accepted
  • Criminal record certificates from every country you lived in during the last five years, legalised or apostilled and translated into Spanish
  • Medical certificate confirming you carry no disease with serious public health implications under the International Health Regulations
  • Passport valid for at least one more year

Schengen C

Short-stay route for courses under 90 days

Only relevant for a short module such as a type rating, an MCC course or a time-building block. Passport holders of Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Brunei enter visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; most other nationalities in Asia-Pacific need a Schengen visa, which costs EUR 90. Visa-free travellers will also need an ETIAS travel authorisation once the EU launches it. This route cannot be stretched to cover a full pilot course, so do not plan to switch to a study permit from inside Spain.

Who can apply

  • Course confirmed as shorter than 90 days
  • Return travel booked within the 90-day window
  • Travel medical insurance covering the Schengen Area
  • Proof of funds for the stay

04 Requirements

English and medical: what you need.

English

Training at FlyBy is conducted in English and Spanish is not required at any point in the licence. Requirements:

  • For the licence: ICAO English Language Proficiency Level 4 or above, tested and endorsed on the licence. Level 4 needs re-validating every four years, Level 5 every six, Level 6 never.
  • For admission: FlyBy asks for ICAO Level 4 as a minimum and tests English, mathematics, physics and personality in its own admission tests, because ATPL theory is taught and examined in technical English from day one. FlyBy is also an ICAO English test centre.
  • For the visa: Spain sets no English requirement. The consulate cares about funds, insurance and enrolment.

Daily life in Burgos runs mostly in Spanish, since it is a working Castilian city rather than a tourist resort. That is a genuine plus for immersion and a small practical hurdle in the first weeks. Learning basic Spanish is not required, but a few months of basics make the year noticeably easier.

Medical

You need an EASA Class 1 medical certificate, the strictest EASA level, required for all commercial flying. It is governed by Part-MED under Regulation (EU) 1178/2011 and overseen in Spain by AESA. FlyBy asks for a Class 1 without limitations.

  • The initial examination can only be done at an aeromedical centre (AeMC), not by an individual aviation doctor. AESA lists about 14 accredited centres in Spain (October 2026), among them CIMA in Torrejón de Ardoz near Madrid; the closest to Burgos is near Bilbao. Plan for most of a day.
  • Cost: the FlyBy all-inclusive package includes the initial examination. Otherwise you pay the centre directly; prices vary, so ask for a quote. Renewals are cheaper and can be done by an authorised aeromedical examiner (AME).
  • Eyesight: glasses or contact lenses are not automatically a problem. Distant vision must reach 6/9 in each eye and 6/6 with both eyes, with or without correction, and colour vision is tested.

Do this before you pay a tuition deposit. The Class 1 is the one requirement that can end a career plan before it starts, and eyesight, hearing, cardiovascular findings and some medical histories are the usual reasons. If there is no EASA-certified centre near you, a Class 1 examination by your own aviation authority is a sensible early screening; the EASA initial then follows in Spain.

05 Training there

Training and living in Spain.

Worth knowing

One price that includes room and meals

FlyBy's defining feature is not the fleet or the airport but the contract. Its all-inclusive price, from EUR 79,500, covers the training, your own room, three meals a day, the airport shuttle, the initial Class 1 medical and the first attempt at every exam for the whole course. Its own training-only price, from EUR 69,500, shows what those extras are worth: about EUR 10,000, roughly 14 months of a modest room and food in Burgos. That changes how you should read every competing offer: a lower tuition figure elsewhere is only lower if the rent, food, exams and medical behind it are too. Families supporting a student from Asia-Pacific feel this most: an all-inclusive number can be planned for and transferred once, while a tuition-only number leaves an open-ended monthly bill in a foreign currency. Ask every school on your shortlist for a written list of what is and is not included, then compare the totals.

Why students choose Spain

  1. Reliable flying weather

    Northern Spain flies year-round. Weather delays are the quiet budget killer in flight training, because a course that slips adds months of living costs.

  2. The standard EASA licence

    A CPL earned in Spain is the same EASA licence as one earned in Germany or France, valid across the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, with the same established conversion routes into Asia-Pacific regulators.

  3. Scale

    FlyBy describes itself as the largest ATO in Spain, with more than 45 aircraft and students from more than 115 nationalities. Scale tends to mean training slots are available, and a school that has taken many international students through the visa process before yours.

  4. A city that is not expensive

    Burgos is a small northern city and much cheaper than Madrid or Barcelona: a one-bedroom flat outside the centre lists at about EUR 575 a month (Numbeo, October 2026). Fewer distractions is a feature during an intensive course.

From first call to Spanish airspace

  1. Pass the Class 1 medical first At an EASA-certified aeromedical centre. If none is near you, a Class 1 check by your own aviation authority is a sensible first screening. Everything else depends on it, and it is the cheapest step to fail.
  2. Confirm the package in writing Ask FlyBy for the current fee and an itemised list of inclusions and exclusions. Compare like for like against your other shortlisted schools.
  3. Secure your place and get the acceptance letter The consulate will not start without it. Aviation Connect handles the application alongside you.
  4. Apply for the student visa At least two months ahead, better three to four. You must be 18 or older. Funds of EUR 600 per month of the stay, private insurance with no co-payments, apostilled criminal record, medical certificate.
  5. Arrive and request the TIE At the police within one month of entry. Before the first year ends, extend your permit in Spain. The school supports the appointments and the paperwork.
  6. Start training, then plan the conversion From 14 months to a frozen ATPL. Talk to your advisor about the conversion route home well before you finish, not after.

The honest caveats

Two things worth knowing before you commit.

First, work: under the rules in force since May 2025, students in higher education may work up to 30 hours a week without a separate permit, but pilot training at a flight school is not higher education, so a job needs its own work authorisation, and an intensive integrated course leaves little room for one anyway. Treat any income as a bonus, never as part of your funding plan. The pilot degree FlyBy runs with the University of Burgos does count as higher education; ask your advisor if that route interests you.

Second, Burgos is not Barcelona. It is a small, cold-winter Castilian city with a magnificent cathedral and a quiet social scene, and daily life happens in Spanish. For a focused 14 months that is arguably ideal, but go in knowing it, not expecting a coastal resort.

07 7 questions

Questions about training in Spain.

Is the all-inclusive price really everything?

Close to it.

FlyBy's all-inclusive integrated ATPL, from EUR 79,500, covers the training (flying, simulators, UPRT, night VFR and the airline-standard MCC course), study materials, an iPad, a headset, uniform, your own room in student housing in Burgos or Logroño, three meals a day, the airport shuttle, the initial Class 1 medical, one attempt at each ATPL theory exam and two skill tests.

It does not cover the visa and TIE card, health insurance, your flights, personal spending, exam resits or a later licence conversion. The training-only package, from EUR 69,500, leaves out the room, meals and transport.

Ask for the current inclusions in writing before you sign; packages change, and the written list is what you can hold them to.

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How does the visa process work?

Once the school accepts you, you apply for a long-stay study visa at the Spanish consulate or visa centre for your country, at least two months before the course starts.

Under the rules in force since May 2025, pilot training counts as a training activity, so you must be 18 or older and the permit runs for up to a year, then is extended once in Spain.

You need proof of funds of 100 percent of the IPREM, EUR 600 a month in 2026, on top of the tuition money; private health insurance with no co-payments; criminal record certificates for the last five years, apostilled and translated; and a medical certificate. Within one month of arriving you request the TIE residence card at the police.

Start three to four months ahead.

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Do I need to speak Spanish?

Not for the licence. Training at FlyBy is in English, air traffic control at international airports operates in English, and the EASA requirement is ICAO English Level 4. Daily life in Burgos is another matter: it is a working Spanish city rather than a tourist town, so shops, buses and offices run in Spanish.

You will manage without it, and you will have a better year with a few months of basics behind you.

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Will my EASA licence convert back home in Asia-Pacific?

EASA licences are widely respected, and most Asia-Pacific regulators have a conversion route for them, among them Hong Kong (CAD), India (DGCA), Indonesia (DGCA), Vietnam (CAAV) and Thailand (CAAT).

Conversion usually means the country's own theory exams plus a flight check; cost and time vary by country, so ask your advisor to map the route before you start. For Indian students FlyBy also runs a programme that adds the DGCA conversion in India.

Because the licence is EASA rather than Spanish, it converts exactly as one earned in any other EASA state would.

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Can I work alongside the course?

Plan as if you cannot. Since May 2025, students in higher education may work up to 30 hours a week without a separate permit, but pilot training at a flight school is not higher education, so a job would need its own work authorisation.

An integrated ATPL from 14 months is genuinely full-time anyway: theory blocks, flight slots that move with the weather, and examinations. Students who try to hold a job usually pay for it in resits. If part-time work is essential to your plan, raise it with your advisor before you commit.

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Why Burgos rather than a coastal school?

Airspace and focus. FlyBy flies from Burgos and Logroño, two uncongested airports, which means training slots that run on time instead of queuing behind traffic, and northern Spain still flies year-round.

The city is small and inexpensive: a one-bedroom flat outside the centre lists at about EUR 575 a month (Numbeo, October 2026), well below Madrid or Barcelona. Winters are colder than the Mediterranean image of Spain suggests. For an intensive 14 months, a quiet base is usually an advantage.

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What happens if I fail the Class 1 medical?

Then you find out before you have spent anything, which is exactly why it comes first. The initial can only be done at an aeromedical centre (AeMC); in Spain that means one accredited by AESA, and the FlyBy all-inclusive package pays for it.

Some findings are disqualifying, many are not, and a number are correctable or subject to a limitation that still permits commercial flying. If something is flagged, talk to your advisor before assuming the career is closed.

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