EASA Licences and ratings

EASA Type Rating is a rating endorsed in the EASA pilot's flight crew licence. 

Holders of a pilot licence shall act as pilots of an aircraft only if they have a valid and appropriate class rating or type rating. 

All EASA recognised type ratings are published by the EASA in Type Ratings and Licence endorsement lists.

In this case the type rating is usually established for a single-pilot high performance complex aircraft or for multi-pilot aeroplane. Aircraft types with similar handling characteristics and design constituting into one single type rating endorsement. However the type rating endorsement may cover multiple types of the similar aircraft, which are called variants.

A good example is Boeing 737. The licence designator for Boeing 737 family is B737 300-900. It means for flying on Boeing 737-300/400/500/600/700/800/900 and MAX a pilot needs to have the common B737 300-900 endorsed in his flight crew licence. In this case the Boeing 737-300 or Boeing 737-800 is a variant of the Boeing 737 typerating.

Same applies for an Airbus 32Family. Common licence endorsement of A320 allows a pilot to fly on the following variants of Airbus 320 Family:

• Airbus 318
• Airbus 319
• Airbus 320
• Airbus 321