HAL Design Trainee & Management Trainee Recruitment 2026

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has released the HAL Design Trainee/Management Trainee Recruitment 2026 notification on 2026-07-29 on its official website. HAL is inviting applications from young engineering graduates with an excellent academic record for engagement as Design Trainees and Management Trainees. Eligible candidates should apply online within the notified dates and be prepared for a computer-based test followed by a personal interview at Bengaluru.

This recruitment is for a total of 120 vacancies, split equally between Design Trainee (60) and Management Trainee (60). Online registration begins on 2026-07-29 at 1400 hrs and the application window closes on 2026-08-14 at 1400 hrs. Applications are accepted only through the online mode via the HAL careers portal/registration link. Selection will be based on an Online Computer-Based Test (All-India) and a Personal Interview at Bengaluru, with final merit prepared using weightage for the test and interview.

Important Dates

Vacancy Details

The recruitment includes Design Trainee (DT) and Management Trainee (MT) posts across multiple engineering disciplines. The total vacancies are 120, with 60 vacancies for Design Trainee and 60 vacancies for Management Trainee. The discipline-wise and category-wise vacancy distribution is given below.

Design Trainee — Discipline-wise Vacancies (Total: 60)

Management Trainee — Discipline-wise Vacancies (Total: 60)

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Candidates must possess a Regular/Full-Time Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering/Technology (as per the 10+2+4 pattern, or 10+3+3 for lateral entry) from a recognised University/Institution. The degree must be in the eligible branch corresponding to the discipline applied for. Candidates with a Diploma along with the Engineering Degree, or a 5-year Integrated Degree in the notified discipline, are also eligible.

Only Full-Time/Regular courses are considered. Part-Time, Correspondence, E-learning, or Distance Education courses are not eligible. HAL also specifies that the candidate should apply for the discipline for which the engineering branch is eligible (for example, Aeronautical is listed for Design Trainee only; Production and Civil are listed for Management Trainee only).

Age Limit

The upper age limit is 28 years as on 2026-08-14 for candidates belonging to UR and EWS categories. Candidates applying under UR category from OBC-NCL/SC/ST/EWS are treated on par with UR criteria for the purpose of age limit applicability as stated in the notification.

Age relaxation is provided as per category. SC/ST candidates get relaxation of 5 years. OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) candidates get relaxation of 3 years. Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) get relaxation of 10 years, in addition to any SC/ST/OBC-NCL relaxation applicable. Candidates with domicile of Jammu & Kashmir during 1980-01-01 to 1989-12-31 are eligible for 5 years relaxation. Ex-Servicemen/Commissioned Officers/ECOs/SSCOs with minimum 5 years of military service are eligible for relaxation up to 5 years.

After applying all applicable relaxations, the age should not exceed 56 years for PwBD candidates and 55 years for other candidates.

Application Fee

Candidates are required to pay an application fee of 500 INR inclusive of GST. The fee is exempted for SC/ST/PwBD candidates and for Internal (HAL employee) candidates. Once paid, the fee is non-refundable under any circumstances. HAL also states that it will not be responsible for payments made to the wrong account or for multiple payments.

How to Apply

1. Go to the official HAL website www.hal-india.co.in, open the Careers section, and click the link titled “SELECTION OF DESIGN TRAINEE/MANAGEMENT TRAINEE – 2026” to start registration and select the post applied for.
2. Enter and re-enter a valid email ID for OTP-based registration. Ensure the email remains active throughout the selection cycle.
3. Fill in the Eligibility Details and upload the photograph. Once Eligibility Details are submitted, they cannot be edited. After submission, a unique Application Number will be generated.
4. Complete the Personal & Qualification Details. Use the “Edit” option to correct details before final submission.
5. For SC/ST/PwBD/Internal candidates: registration is completed on submission and an Application Confirmation Page is generated.
6. For UR/OBC (NCL)/EWS candidates: proceed to the Payment Gateway and pay the application fee of 500 INR using Credit Card, Internet Banking, or UPI.
7. After successful payment, download and retain a printout of the Application Confirmation Page for future reference.

Salary & Pay Scale

During the 52-week training programme, trainees receive a stipend comprising Basic Pay of 50000 INR plus Variable Dearness Allowance and a canteen allowance. After successful completion of training, candidates are absorbed as Engineers in the Grade-II pay scale of 50000 to 160000 INR.

Selection Process

Selection for HAL Design Trainee/Management Trainee 2026 is based on an Online Computer-Based Test followed by a Personal Interview at Bengaluru. The online test is conducted on an All-India basis and includes three parts: Part I (20 MCQs) on General Awareness, Part II (40 MCQs) on English & Reasoning, and Part III (100 MCQs) from the concerned discipline. The test duration is 2.5 hours. Candidates can choose the test language as Hindi or English at the time of application, and this choice cannot be changed later. Candidates can select up to three preferred cities for the test centre.

For interview shortlisting, candidates are shortlisted based on online test marks in the ratio of 1:5 to the number of vacancies in each discipline and category. The final merit list is prepared with 85% weightage for the online test and 15% weightage for the interview. Candidates must secure at least 50% marks in both the written test and the interview to qualify, with relaxation applicable to reserved categories as per rules.

Eligible candidates should complete their online registration and submission before 2026-08-14 (1400 hrs) to avoid last-minute issues.