Quick answer: A "frozen ATPL" is not an official EASA licence — it is industry shorthand for holding a CPL(A) with a multi-engine Instrument Rating and all 14 ATPL theory exams passed. It lets you fly as a first officer for an airline. It "unfreezes" into a full ATPL(A) once you log 1,500 hours of flight time meeting specific conditions and pass the ATPL skill test.
What "frozen ATPL" actually means
There is no licence card that says "frozen ATPL". The term describes a stage: you have done all the ATPL theory and hold the practical licences below it, so the ATPL is "frozen" — waiting only on experience. On paper you hold:
- A CPL(A) (Commercial Pilot Licence),
- A multi-engine Instrument Rating (ME/IR),
- Credit for all 14 ATPL theory exams (valid for a limited window, so timing matters).
What you can and can't fly
| Capacity | Frozen ATPL | Full ATPL |
|---|---|---|
| First officer / co-pilot on a multi-crew airliner | Yes | Yes |
| Pilot in command (captain) of a multi-crew airliner | No | Yes |
| Commercial single-pilot operations (per ratings) | Yes | Yes |
In short: a frozen ATPL is enough to start an airline career in the right-hand seat. The command upgrade to captain requires the full ATPL.
How to unfreeze it: the 1,500-hour requirement
To convert to a full ATPL(A) you need 1,500 hours total time that includes, broadly:
- 500 hours in multi-pilot operations,
- 250 hours as pilot in command (or 100 PIC + 150 hours as PIC under supervision),
- 200 hours of cross-country flight,
- 75 hours of instrument time,
- 100 hours of night flight.
Once the hours and their sub-conditions are met, you pass the ATPL skill test and the licence unfreezes. Most first officers reach this in a few years of airline flying.
Common misconceptions
- "Frozen ATPL means I can't get a job." False — it is exactly the qualification airlines hire first officers on.
- "The theory credit lasts forever." It does not; ATPL theory credits expire, which is why sequencing your CPL/IR and first airline job matters.
- "Unfreezing is a course." It is not a course — it is an experience threshold plus a skill test.
How Veejo helps
The hardest part of unfreezing is proving the right hours in the right categories. Veejo Career Log tracks total time, PIC, PICUS, cross-country, night and instrument automatically, and flags when you cross each unfreezing threshold — so your file is airline-ready and audit-clean.
▶ See how pilots track their hours on the Veejo YouTube channel.