EASA Pilot Licences: LAPL, PPL, CPL, MPL, ATPL
EASA pilot licences explained: how LAPL, PPL, CPL, MPL and ATPL differ in privileges and what each lets you fly, grounded in Part-FCL of Reg (EU) 1178/2011.
Dionysis Kefalas5 min readFor Air Ops and training organisation staff
Part 2 of 5 in EASA Flight Crew Licensing Show parts
- 1The Path to an EASA Flight Crew Licence
- 2EASA Pilot Licences: LAPL, PPL, CPL, MPL, ATPL
- 3EASA Pilot Exams: Theory and the Skill Test
- 4Pilot Ratings: Class, Type and Instrument
- 5Pilot Revalidation, Recency, Language, Medical
Quotes checked on against EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew (Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011) — 25 Nov 2025 revision.
On this page
The licence names
Under Part-FCL, Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, the pilot licences in this guide are the LAPL, the PPL, the CPL, the MPL and the ATPL. The sections below quote the privilege sentence for each licence. Read that sentence before the training story. The MPL is not a rung stacked on the CPL. Its privilege sentence is its own, which is why it shares a section with the ATPL here.
Commercial air transport is a defined term. Several privilege sentences use it.
"Commercial air transport" means the transport of passengers, cargo or mail for remuneration or hire.
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, 25 Nov 2025 revision.
(a)General. The privileges of the holder of an LAPL are to act without remuneration as PIC in non-commercial operations on the appropriate aircraft category.
(b)Conditions. Applicants for the LAPL shall have fulfilled the requirements for the relevant aircraft category and, when applicable, for the class or type of aircraft used in the skill test.
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, 25 Nov 2025 revision.
PPL — the Private Pilot Licence
The privilege quoted here is the aeroplane rule, FCL.205.A.
(a)The privileges of the holders of a PPL(A) are to act without remuneration as PIC or co-pilots of aeroplanes or TMGs engaged in non-commercial operations and to exercise all privileges of holders of an LAPL(A).
(b)Notwithstanding the paragraph above, the holder of a PPL(A) with instructor or examiner privileges may receive remuneration for:
(1)the provision of flight instruction for the LAPL(A) or PPL(A);
(2)the conduct of skill tests and proficiency checks for the licences specified in point (1);
(3)the training, testing and checking for the ratings or certificates associated with the instructor’s or examiner’s licence, as applicable.
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, 25 Nov 2025 revision.
Point (b) does not say commercial air transport. The remuneration there is only for a holder who already has instructor or examiner privileges.
CPL — the Commercial Pilot Licence
(a)Privileges. The privileges of the holder of a CPL are, within the appropriate aircraft category, to:
(1)exercise all the privileges of the holder of an LAPL and a PPL;
(2)act as PIC or co-pilot of any aircraft engaged in operations other than commercial air transport;
(3)act as PIC in commercial air transport of any single-pilot aircraft subject to the restrictions specified in FCL.060 and in this Subpart;
(4)act as co-pilot in commercial air transport subject to the restrictions specified in FCL.060.
(b)Conditions. An applicant for the issue of a CPL shall have fulfilled the requirements for the class or type rating of the aircraft used in the skill test.
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, 25 Nov 2025 revision.
This page does not quote FCL.060, so it does not state the restrictions named in points (a)(3) and (a)(4).
MPL and ATPL
The ATPL privilege rule:
(a)The privileges of the holder of an ATPL are, within the appropriate aircraft category, to:
(1)exercise all the privileges of the holder of an LAPL, a PPL and a CPL;
(2)act as PIC of aircraft engaged in commercial air transport.
(b)Applicants for the issue of an ATPL shall have fulfilled the requirements for the type rating of the aircraft used in the skill test.
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, 25 Nov 2025 revision.
Point (a)(2) does not repeat the single-pilot limit written in FCL.305(a)(3).
The MPL privilege rule:
(a)The privileges of the holder of an MPL are to act as co-pilot in an aeroplane required to be operated with a co-pilot.
(b)Holders of an MPL shall, upon application:
(1)be issued with additional privileges of the holder of a PPL(A), provided that they comply with the requirements for the PPL(A) specified in Subpart C;
(2)have their MPL replaced by a CPL(A), provided that they comply with the requirements specified in point FCL.325.A.
(c)The holder of an MPL shall have the privileges of his/her IR(A) limited to aeroplanes required to be operated with a co-pilot. The privileges of the IR(A) may be extended to single-pilot operations in aeroplanes, provided that the licence holder has completed the training necessary to act as PIC in single-pilot operations exercised solely by reference to instruments and passed the skill test of the IR(A) as a single-pilot.
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, 25 Nov 2025 revision.
Point (a) does not mention remuneration or commercial air transport. This page does not quote FCL.325.A, so it does not state what point (b)(2) requires.
Choosing a privilege sentence
For a student at ExampleATO, the choice is which of the sentences quoted above is the one they need. The examinations are the next guide: Theoretical Knowledge and the Skill Test: Passing the EASA Pilot Exams.
Educational content, not regulatory compliance advice. Verify against the current regulation text before relying on it.
In this series
Related
- How to Get an EASA Pilot Licence: The Complete PathGuide · 4 min
- Theoretical Knowledge and the Skill Test: Passing the EASA Pilot ExamsGuide · 7 min
- Ratings on Your Licence: Class, Type and Instrument RatingsGuide · 5 min
- Keeping Your Licence Valid: Revalidation, Recency, Language and MedicalGuide · 9 min
Written by Dionysis Kefalas. Retired Hellenic Air Force Captain and founder of Avioverse. About the author
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