Type · system-design
Design a real-time flight status notification system for passengers. Consider scalability for millions of users and various notification channels (push, SMS, email).
How to Pass the Aena Software Engineer Interview in 2026
The Aena DNA (TL;DR)
Airport operation metrics in the Aena App and compliance with DORA (Documento de Regulación Aeroportuaria) frameworks define candidate scoring, prioritizing real-time capacity management over abstract theoretical models.
The Aena Interview Loop
Your onsite loop will typically consist of 5 rounds.
- 1
Round 1
Recruiter ScreenMotivation, role fit, logistics. - 2
Round 2
Coding ScreenLeetCode-medium algorithmic problems under time pressure. - 3
Round 3
System DesignDistributed systems, trade-offs at scale, architecture under constraints. - 4
Round 4
Onsite CodingLeetCode-hard problems, reasoning about defects, code clarity, edge cases. - 5
Round 5
Behavioral / LeadershipPast evidence of ownership, influence, resolving conflict.
The Danger Zone: Top Reasons Candidates Fail
Based on our database of Aena interview outcomes, avoid these common traps:
- Underestimating the scale of concurrent users and notifications.
- Inefficient sorting or iteration over time points.
- Incorrectly handling overlapping time intervals or edge cases (e.g., flights departing exactly when another arrives).
- Focusing on personal ego rather than the technical merits of the safety trade-off
Test Yourself: Real Aena Questions
Three real prompts pulled from our database.
Type · coding
Write a function to validate if a given sequence of airport codes represents a valid multi-leg flight path, considering layover times. Assume you have a database of direct flight routes and typical layover durations required between flights at specific airports.
Type · motivation
What interests you about working at Aena, specifically within our transport and airport operations technology?
+ many more questions, signals, and worked examples
Sign up to unlock the full Aena grading rubric
Aena Interview Question Bank
A sample from our database, grouped by round. Sign up to see the full set.
9 of 12 questions shown
1
Recruiter Screen
1- 1
Type · motivation
What interests you about working at Aena, specifically within our transport and airport operations technology?
2
Coding Screen
3- 2
Type · algorithmic
Given a list of flight departures and arrivals with timestamps, write a function to find the maximum number of flights that are simultaneously in the air at any given point in time. Assume all flights are in the air from departure to arrival. - 3
Type · algorithmic
You are given a stream of real-time passenger counts for different gates at an airport. Design a data structure and algorithm to efficiently query the maximum passenger count across all gates at any given time, and to update the count for a specific gate. - + 1 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
3
System Design
3- 4
Type · system-design
Design a real-time flight status notification system for passengers. Consider scalability for millions of users and various notification channels (push, SMS, email). - 5
Type · system-design
Design a system to manage and display real-time gate assignments for flights at a large airport. How would you handle potential conflicts or last-minute changes? - + 1 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
4
Onsite Coding
2- 6
Type · coding
Implement a function that takes a list of flight numbers and their scheduled departure times, and returns a schedule that minimizes delays. You can assume a fixed runway capacity and a simple model for calculating delay propagation (e.g., a delay of X minutes for a flight causes a Y minute delay for the next flight on the same runway). - 7
Type · coding
Write a function to validate if a given sequence of airport codes represents a valid multi-leg flight path, considering layover times. Assume you have a database of direct flight routes and typical layover durations required between flights at specific airports.
5
Behavioral / Leadership
3- 8
Type · behavioral
Tell me about a time you had to work with a complex, legacy system at Aena or a previous role. What were the challenges, and how did you approach understanding and improving it? - 9
Type · behavioral
At Aena, we often balance the need for rapid deployment of passenger-facing digital services with the strict safety and security protocols required at an international airport. Tell us about a time you had to advocate for a specific technical architecture or security trade-off that was met with skepticism by stakeholders focused on operational speed. - + 1 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
Unlock all 12 Aena questions, free
No credit card. Every question with its framework, the grading signals interviewers score against, and a worked answer for each.
Interview tracks at Aena
How Aena's DNA translates across functions. Pick your role.
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Practice Aena interviews end-to-end
Aena Mock Interview
Run a live mock interview with our AI interviewer using Aena-style prompts. Get scored on structure, signal, and answer length - exactly how the real loop grades you.
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STAR Stories for Aena Behavioral Rounds
Build a Story Bank of your past wins, mapped to the leadership signals Aena interviewers grade on. Reuse them across every behavioral round.
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Aena Interview Prep Hub
The frameworks behind every Aena round: CIRCLES for product sense, hypothesis-driven debugging for analytical, STAR for behavioral. Learn each one in 10 minutes.
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Interview Frameworks
CIRCLES, STAR, AARRR, RICE, MECE. The exact frameworks that make Aena interviewers nod instead of frown. Step-by-step playbooks with the moves and the pitfalls.
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Sample answers
What a strong answer to these Aena interview questions shows.
Design a real-time flight status notification system for passengers. Consider scalability for millions of users and various notification channels (push, SMS, email).
A strong answer shows: Scalability design; Messaging systems; Fault tolerance; Multi-channel communication.
Write a function to validate if a given sequence of airport codes represents a valid multi-leg flight path, considering layover times. Assume you have a database of direct flight routes and typical layover durations required between flights at specific airports.
A strong answer shows: Sequence processing; Data validation; Business logic implementation; Handling constraints.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Aena interview process take?
Most candidates spend between 4 and 8 weeks from recruiter screen to offer. The onsite loop itself runs in a single day or is split across two half-days, with debrief and offer typically within 5 business days after.
How should I prepare specifically for Aena?
Focus on three things: (1) the company DNA shown above - what they actually grade for, (2) the rounds in your loop, especially the round most candidates underestimate, and (3) drilling on the question types in this guide using a structured framework like CIRCLES or STAR.
Does this apply to engineering or design roles at Aena?
The DNA stays the same - what changes is the round mix. SWE candidates face coding screens instead of Product Sense; designers face portfolio reviews and design exercises. The "what they value" and behavioral signals carry across all functions.
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