The pilot designated as ultimately responsible for the operation and safety of a flight; at an airline this is the captain, who normally sits in the left-hand seat.
What it is
ICAO standards and national regulations give the pilot in command final authority over the aircraft, crew and passengers for the duration of the flight. The pilot in command decides whether to depart, may divert to another airport, can refuse to carry a passenger who threatens safety and answers for compliance with the rules.
At an airline the captain is an experienced pilot holding an airline transport pilot licence (ATPL), which requires at least 1,500 flying hours, and has moved up from first officer after a command course and assessment. Captains usually wear four stripes and sit on the left.
Being in command does not mean always flying. The two pilots share the sectors: on each, one is the pilot flying and the other the pilot monitoring, whoever is captain. Crew resource management (CRM) encourages anyone on the crew to speak up, although the final word remains the captain's.
Related terms
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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Pilot in command. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pilot-in-command
MLA
“Pilot in command.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pilot-in-command. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Pilot in command.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pilot-in-command.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Pilot in command. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pilot-in-command (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_pilot_in_command,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Pilot in command}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-09},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pilot-in-command},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pilot-in-command}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pilot-in-command |title=Pilot in command |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}