ACMI Pilot Roster and Lifestyle: What to Expect

An ACMI pilot roster can offer concentrated blocks of duty followed by time off, but there is no universal “ACMI rotation.” A pattern such as 20 days on and 10 off is a contract term, not an industry or EASA standard. Your actual quality of life depends on where the rotation starts, how positioning and standby are treated, whether hotels and travel are paid, how often the roster changes, and which entity employs you.

This guide explains the language behind ACMI rosters, the EASA flight-time and rest framework, and the questions to answer before accepting a pilot contract.

What is an ACMI pilot rotation?

EASA’s Air Operations rules define a rotation as a duty or series of duties that includes at least one flight duty and rest away from home base, beginning at home base and ending when the crew member returns there for a rest period for which the operator is no longer responsible for accommodation.

Recruitment adverts often use “rotation” more loosely to describe a repeating work-and-leave pattern. These are related ideas, but they are not identical. A contractual 15-on/15-off pattern does not tell you how many sectors you will fly, how much standby you will perform, or whether the first and last days are travel days.

Roster terms every ACMI pilot should understand

Term	Practical meaning	Question to ask
Home base	The location assigned by the operator where a duty or series of duties normally starts and ends	Is this my contractual and FTL home base, and can it change?
Operational base	The location from which a customer programme is being flown	How long is the deployment expected to last?
Positioning	Operator-directed transfer as a non-operating crew member	Who books and pays, and does the time fall inside my working block?
Standby	A notified period in which you must be available for an assignment	Is it at home, in a hotel, or at the airport, and how is it paid?
Reserve	Availability for an assignment notified at least 10 hours in advance under the EASA definition	How many consecutive reserve days can be rostered?
Day off	A contractual label that must be checked against regulatory rest and days-free requirements	Is it a full local day, and can positioning consume part of it?

What an ACMI working block can look like

The first day may involve airline travel to a customer base, hotel check-in, security or airport-ID arrangements, and a local briefing. Flying can then include scheduled passenger sectors, charter work, recovery flying, cargo, or a mix, depending on the operator. A customer change can alter destinations and reporting times without changing your employer or aircraft.

Some days may be productive flying; others may be standby, positioning, training, or disruption recovery. The final day may include a sector followed by a flight home. That is why two contracts advertising the same numerical rotation can produce very different time at home.

Titan Airways, for example, tells pilot applicants that routes, customers, and missions can vary, and that pilots may work unsociable hours, perform standby, or spend time away. Hi Fly’s careers material similarly describes worldwide wet-lease work and roles requiring availability for extended travel. These are useful illustrations, not promises about every ACMI operator.

EASA duty and flight-time limits

For commercial air transport with aeroplanes, Subpart FTL of the EASA Air Operations rules sets the regulatory framework. The operator’s approved flight-time specification scheme and operations manual add the detail. Current ORO.FTL.210 cumulative limits include:

Measure	Maximum
Total duty	60 hours in any 7 consecutive days
Total duty	110 hours in any 14 consecutive days
Total duty	190 hours in any 28 consecutive days, spread as evenly as practicable
Operating flight time	100 hours in any 28 consecutive days
Operating flight time	900 hours in a calendar year
Operating flight time	1,000 hours in any 12 consecutive calendar months

These are outer cumulative limits, not a normal workload target or a guarantee that every roster near the limit is fatigue-free. Daily flight duty depends on factors including report time, sectors, acclimatisation, extensions, and the operator’s approved scheme. Positioning after reporting and before operating counts toward the flight duty period, and all operator-directed positioning time counts as duty.

Minimum rest is not the same as time off

ORO.FTL.235 generally requires rest before a flight duty starting at home base to be at least as long as the preceding duty or 12 hours, whichever is greater. Away from home base, it is generally at least the preceding duty or 10 hours, whichever is greater, including an eight-hour sleep opportunity plus time for travel and physiological needs. The rules also address reduced rest and recurrent extended recovery rest.

A legal minimum rest period can still leave little usable personal time after transport, eating, and sleep. When comparing offers, ask for a sample roster and calculate door-to-door time rather than looking only at the number of nominal off-days.

Home base, commuting, and positioning

EASA requires an operator to assign each crew member a home base. In normal circumstances, the operator is not responsible for accommodation there. This makes the exact base a financial and lifestyle issue: a self-funded commute to the assigned home base can be very different from company-paid positioning from an agreed gateway airport.

Ask the recruiter to identify all three locations separately:

• your assigned FTL home base;
• the airport from which company-paid positioning begins, if any; and
• the current customer or operational base.

Then confirm what happens after missed connections, a customer-base change, illness during deployment, or a positioning flight that lands after the planned last day.

Accommodation and living away from home

Do not stop at “hotel provided.” Check whether you receive a private room, breakfast or meal allowance, laundry, reliable transport, internet, gym access, and a safe way to reach food during late arrivals. For longer placements, ask whether serviced apartments replace hotels and whether the standard can change by location.

EASA defines suitable accommodation for rest as a separate room in a quiet environment with a bed, ventilation, control of temperature and light, and access to food and drink. Contract benefits can go beyond that minimum, so get the promised standard in writing.

How ACMI roster patterns affect pay

A day rate, block-hour rate, or sector rate cannot be compared fairly without the guarantee and cost rules. One offer may pay a lower headline rate but cover positioning, hotels, insurance, and training. Another may show a higher rate while leaving the pilot to fund travel, accommodation, social security, or periods without flying.

Calculate expected annual compensation after unavoidable work expenses. Include:

• guaranteed salary or minimum monthly payment;
• flight-hour, sector, per-diem, standby, and training pay;
• paid or unpaid travel days;
• commuting and positioning costs;
• hotel, local transport, meals, uniform, medical, and licence costs;
• training bond or repayment exposure;
• tax, social-security, pension, and insurance obligations; and
• sick leave and loss-of-licence protection.

Use our ACMI pilot salary guide to compare an offer on an annual after-cost basis.

Employee or contractor?

ACMI pilots can be engaged through different legal structures. The roster alone does not determine whether you are an employee, agency worker, or independent contractor. Identify the legal employing or contracting company, governing law, payroll country, tax residence implications, social-security treatment, insurance, and who carries employer obligations.

Cross-border arrangements are fact-specific. Obtain qualified legal and tax advice before accepting a structure you do not understand, especially if you are asked to create a company or invoice from a different jurisdiction.

Questions to ask before signing

1. What is the exact roster pattern, and is it guaranteed or only planned?
2. Which days are travel days, duty days, rest days, and full days off?
3. Where is my assigned home base under the operator’s FTL scheme?
4. Who pays positioning, baggage, hotels, meals, visas, and local transport?
5. Can the operational base change, and with how much notice?
6. How often may a published roster change?
7. How are standby, reserve, training, and positioning paid?
8. Is there a guaranteed monthly or annual minimum?
9. What happens if the customer programme ends early?
10. Who is the legal employer or contracting party?
11. Which authority oversees the AOC and licence-related operation?
12. What insurance, sick-pay, and loss-of-licence protection applies?
13. Are there training bonds, deductions, or repayment clauses?
14. What are the notice, probation, and termination terms?
15. Can I review a representative roster and complete contract before committing?

Who tends to enjoy ACMI pilot life?

ACMI work can suit pilots who enjoy variety, can settle quickly into changing environments, communicate well across cultures, and prefer blocks of time away followed by concentrated leave. It can be harder for people who need a predictable local routine, cannot tolerate frequent travel disruption, or would bear a heavy self-funded commute.

Neither preference is more professional. The right choice depends on the written terms, your home life, financial resilience, health, and tolerance for operational change. Compare the model with the legacy and low-cost alternatives in our pilot career path guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is 20 days on and 10 days off a standard ACMI roster?

No. It is one possible contractual pattern. Operators and contracts use many arrangements, and the treatment of positioning and roster changes can materially alter the real time away.

Are positioning days counted as duty?

Under EASA ORO.FTL.215, all operator-directed positioning time counts as duty. Positioning after reporting and before operating also counts as FDP, although it does not count as a sector.

Does the company always pay for hotels?

Operators are responsible for suitable accommodation in regulatory circumstances away from home base, but the contract should spell out the practical standard and all related costs. Accommodation at the assigned home base is normally a different matter.

Can an ACMI operator change my base?

Operational deployments can change. Whether the assigned home base can change, the notice required, and which costs are covered should be checked against the contract, applicable law, and the operator’s approved procedures.

Official sources

• EASA Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, Revision 24 (March 2026)
• EASA Subpart FTL rules on home base, duty, positioning, and rest
• Titan Airways pilot careers
• Hi Fly careers

Rules and employer pages checked 9 September 2026. Rosters, vacancies, and contract terms change; verify the current written offer and obtain professional advice where needed.

Check the offer behind the roster

Collect written answers about base, positioning, travel days and training obligations with the first airline offer checklist. Compare supported pay and personal-cost inputs with the contract comparator.