diff --git a/flink/v1.18/flink/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/FlinkParquetReaders.java b/flink/v1.18/flink/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/FlinkParquetReaders.java
index a5f2bb738960..a23fb2d6ee36 100644
--- a/flink/v1.18/flink/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/FlinkParquetReaders.java
+++ b/flink/v1.18/flink/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/FlinkParquetReaders.java
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ public ParquetValueReader<RowData> message(
     }
 
     @Override
+    @SuppressWarnings("checkstyle:CyclomaticComplexity")
     public ParquetValueReader<RowData> struct(
         Types.StructType expected, GroupType struct, List<ParquetValueReader<?>> fieldReaders) {
       // match the expected struct's order
@@ -120,6 +121,7 @@ public ParquetValueReader<RowData> struct(
       int defaultMaxDefinitionLevel = type.getMaxDefinitionLevel(currentPath());
       for (Types.NestedField field : expectedFields) {
         int id = field.fieldId();
+        ParquetValueReader<?> reader = readersById.get(id);
         if (idToConstant.containsKey(id)) {
           // containsKey is used because the constant may be null
           int fieldMaxDefinitionLevel =
@@ -133,15 +135,21 @@ public ParquetValueReader<RowData> struct(
         } else if (id == MetadataColumns.IS_DELETED.fieldId()) {
           reorderedFields.add(ParquetValueReaders.constant(false));
           types.add(null);
+        } else if (reader != null) {
+          reorderedFields.add(reader);
+          types.add(typesById.get(id));
+        } else if (field.initialDefault() != null) {
+          reorderedFields.add(
+              ParquetValueReaders.constant(
+                  RowDataUtil.convertConstant(field.type(), field.initialDefault()),
+                  maxDefinitionLevelsById.getOrDefault(id, defaultMaxDefinitionLevel)));
+          types.add(typesById.get(id));
+        } else if (field.isOptional()) {
+          reorderedFields.add(ParquetValueReaders.nulls());
+          types.add(null);
         } else {
-          ParquetValueReader<?> reader = readersById.get(id);
-          if (reader != null) {
-            reorderedFields.add(reader);
-            types.add(typesById.get(id));
-          } else {
-            reorderedFields.add(ParquetValueReaders.nulls());
-            types.add(null);
-          }
+          throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+              String.format("Missing required field: %s", field.name()));
         }
       }
 
diff --git a/flink/v1.18/flink/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/TestFlinkParquetReader.java b/flink/v1.18/flink/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/TestFlinkParquetReader.java
index 4cfb24f62921..6b1af0202c34 100644
--- a/flink/v1.18/flink/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/TestFlinkParquetReader.java
+++ b/flink/v1.18/flink/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/TestFlinkParquetReader.java
@@ -59,6 +59,11 @@
 public class TestFlinkParquetReader extends DataTest {
   private static final int NUM_RECORDS = 100;
 
+  @Override
+  protected boolean supportsDefaultValues() {
+    return true;
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void testBuildReader() {
     MessageType fileSchema =
@@ -199,13 +204,14 @@ public void testTwoLevelList() throws IOException {
     }
   }
 
-  private void writeAndValidate(Iterable<Record> iterable, Schema schema) throws IOException {
+  private void writeAndValidate(
+      Iterable<Record> iterable, Schema writeSchema, Schema expectedSchema) throws IOException {
     File testFile = File.createTempFile("junit", null, temp.toFile());
     assertThat(testFile.delete()).isTrue();
 
     try (FileAppender<Record> writer =
         Parquet.write(Files.localOutput(testFile))
-            .schema(schema)
+            .schema(writeSchema)
             .createWriterFunc(GenericParquetWriter::buildWriter)
             .build()) {
       writer.addAll(iterable);
@@ -213,15 +219,15 @@ private void writeAndValidate(Iterable<Record> iterable, Schema schema) throws I
 
     try (CloseableIterable<RowData> reader =
         Parquet.read(Files.localInput(testFile))
-            .project(schema)
-            .createReaderFunc(type -> FlinkParquetReaders.buildReader(schema, type))
+            .project(expectedSchema)
+            .createReaderFunc(type -> FlinkParquetReaders.buildReader(expectedSchema, type))
             .build()) {
       Iterator<Record> expected = iterable.iterator();
       Iterator<RowData> rows = reader.iterator();
-      LogicalType rowType = FlinkSchemaUtil.convert(schema);
+      LogicalType rowType = FlinkSchemaUtil.convert(writeSchema);
       for (int i = 0; i < NUM_RECORDS; i += 1) {
         assertThat(rows).hasNext();
-        TestHelpers.assertRowData(schema.asStruct(), rowType, expected.next(), rows.next());
+        TestHelpers.assertRowData(writeSchema.asStruct(), rowType, expected.next(), rows.next());
       }
       assertThat(rows).isExhausted();
     }
@@ -229,11 +235,19 @@ private void writeAndValidate(Iterable<Record> iterable, Schema schema) throws I
 
   @Override
   protected void writeAndValidate(Schema schema) throws IOException {
-    writeAndValidate(RandomGenericData.generate(schema, NUM_RECORDS, 19981), schema);
+    writeAndValidate(RandomGenericData.generate(schema, NUM_RECORDS, 19981), schema, schema);
     writeAndValidate(
-        RandomGenericData.generateDictionaryEncodableRecords(schema, NUM_RECORDS, 21124), schema);
+        RandomGenericData.generateDictionaryEncodableRecords(schema, NUM_RECORDS, 21124),
+        schema,
+        schema);
     writeAndValidate(
         RandomGenericData.generateFallbackRecords(schema, NUM_RECORDS, 21124, NUM_RECORDS / 20),
+        schema,
         schema);
   }
+
+  @Override
+  protected void writeAndValidate(Schema writeSchema, Schema expectedSchema) throws IOException {
+    writeAndValidate(RandomGenericData.generate(writeSchema, 100, 0L), writeSchema, expectedSchema);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/flink/v1.19/flink/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/FlinkParquetReaders.java b/flink/v1.19/flink/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/FlinkParquetReaders.java
index a5f2bb738960..a23fb2d6ee36 100644
--- a/flink/v1.19/flink/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/FlinkParquetReaders.java
+++ b/flink/v1.19/flink/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/FlinkParquetReaders.java
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ public ParquetValueReader<RowData> message(
     }
 
     @Override
+    @SuppressWarnings("checkstyle:CyclomaticComplexity")
     public ParquetValueReader<RowData> struct(
         Types.StructType expected, GroupType struct, List<ParquetValueReader<?>> fieldReaders) {
       // match the expected struct's order
@@ -120,6 +121,7 @@ public ParquetValueReader<RowData> struct(
       int defaultMaxDefinitionLevel = type.getMaxDefinitionLevel(currentPath());
       for (Types.NestedField field : expectedFields) {
         int id = field.fieldId();
+        ParquetValueReader<?> reader = readersById.get(id);
         if (idToConstant.containsKey(id)) {
           // containsKey is used because the constant may be null
           int fieldMaxDefinitionLevel =
@@ -133,15 +135,21 @@ public ParquetValueReader<RowData> struct(
         } else if (id == MetadataColumns.IS_DELETED.fieldId()) {
           reorderedFields.add(ParquetValueReaders.constant(false));
           types.add(null);
+        } else if (reader != null) {
+          reorderedFields.add(reader);
+          types.add(typesById.get(id));
+        } else if (field.initialDefault() != null) {
+          reorderedFields.add(
+              ParquetValueReaders.constant(
+                  RowDataUtil.convertConstant(field.type(), field.initialDefault()),
+                  maxDefinitionLevelsById.getOrDefault(id, defaultMaxDefinitionLevel)));
+          types.add(typesById.get(id));
+        } else if (field.isOptional()) {
+          reorderedFields.add(ParquetValueReaders.nulls());
+          types.add(null);
         } else {
-          ParquetValueReader<?> reader = readersById.get(id);
-          if (reader != null) {
-            reorderedFields.add(reader);
-            types.add(typesById.get(id));
-          } else {
-            reorderedFields.add(ParquetValueReaders.nulls());
-            types.add(null);
-          }
+          throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+              String.format("Missing required field: %s", field.name()));
         }
       }
 
diff --git a/flink/v1.19/flink/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/TestFlinkParquetReader.java b/flink/v1.19/flink/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/TestFlinkParquetReader.java
index 4cfb24f62921..6b1af0202c34 100644
--- a/flink/v1.19/flink/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/TestFlinkParquetReader.java
+++ b/flink/v1.19/flink/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/flink/data/TestFlinkParquetReader.java
@@ -59,6 +59,11 @@
 public class TestFlinkParquetReader extends DataTest {
   private static final int NUM_RECORDS = 100;
 
+  @Override
+  protected boolean supportsDefaultValues() {
+    return true;
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void testBuildReader() {
     MessageType fileSchema =
@@ -199,13 +204,14 @@ public void testTwoLevelList() throws IOException {
     }
   }
 
-  private void writeAndValidate(Iterable<Record> iterable, Schema schema) throws IOException {
+  private void writeAndValidate(
+      Iterable<Record> iterable, Schema writeSchema, Schema expectedSchema) throws IOException {
     File testFile = File.createTempFile("junit", null, temp.toFile());
     assertThat(testFile.delete()).isTrue();
 
     try (FileAppender<Record> writer =
         Parquet.write(Files.localOutput(testFile))
-            .schema(schema)
+            .schema(writeSchema)
             .createWriterFunc(GenericParquetWriter::buildWriter)
             .build()) {
       writer.addAll(iterable);
@@ -213,15 +219,15 @@ private void writeAndValidate(Iterable<Record> iterable, Schema schema) throws I
 
     try (CloseableIterable<RowData> reader =
         Parquet.read(Files.localInput(testFile))
-            .project(schema)
-            .createReaderFunc(type -> FlinkParquetReaders.buildReader(schema, type))
+            .project(expectedSchema)
+            .createReaderFunc(type -> FlinkParquetReaders.buildReader(expectedSchema, type))
             .build()) {
       Iterator<Record> expected = iterable.iterator();
       Iterator<RowData> rows = reader.iterator();
-      LogicalType rowType = FlinkSchemaUtil.convert(schema);
+      LogicalType rowType = FlinkSchemaUtil.convert(writeSchema);
       for (int i = 0; i < NUM_RECORDS; i += 1) {
         assertThat(rows).hasNext();
-        TestHelpers.assertRowData(schema.asStruct(), rowType, expected.next(), rows.next());
+        TestHelpers.assertRowData(writeSchema.asStruct(), rowType, expected.next(), rows.next());
       }
       assertThat(rows).isExhausted();
     }
@@ -229,11 +235,19 @@ private void writeAndValidate(Iterable<Record> iterable, Schema schema) throws I
 
   @Override
   protected void writeAndValidate(Schema schema) throws IOException {
-    writeAndValidate(RandomGenericData.generate(schema, NUM_RECORDS, 19981), schema);
+    writeAndValidate(RandomGenericData.generate(schema, NUM_RECORDS, 19981), schema, schema);
     writeAndValidate(
-        RandomGenericData.generateDictionaryEncodableRecords(schema, NUM_RECORDS, 21124), schema);
+        RandomGenericData.generateDictionaryEncodableRecords(schema, NUM_RECORDS, 21124),
+        schema,
+        schema);
     writeAndValidate(
         RandomGenericData.generateFallbackRecords(schema, NUM_RECORDS, 21124, NUM_RECORDS / 20),
+        schema,
         schema);
   }
+
+  @Override
+  protected void writeAndValidate(Schema writeSchema, Schema expectedSchema) throws IOException {
+    writeAndValidate(RandomGenericData.generate(writeSchema, 100, 0L), writeSchema, expectedSchema);
+  }
 }