Air China

CA

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Pay

Taxed (China)

Air China Captain, estimated annual pay

$192K

Air China First Officer, estimated annual pay

$98K

Our estimate

Submitted payREAL PAY

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Who it covers, what’s included, and when
Captain
Our estimate
First Officer
Our estimate
  • The airline has a pay and benefits page for pilots on its own recruitment site, and it states no amount at all. It says only that pay is made up of fixed salary, flight duty allowance, bonuses, other allowances and an annual incentive, and that the level is high within the industry. The page carries no publication date and no effective date.
  • The cadet selection notices on the same site (the newest from 2025-11-04) and the cadet program brief (2023-10-20) state no amount either. The only line that touches money says the company bears the training cost while the family bears the tuition, with no figure.
  • Warning: agency postings quoting figures such as USD 18,200 a month for a B777 captain are for Air China Cargo, a separate company. We do not treat them as figures for captains on the passenger side.
  • In the material we have checked, we found no document stating annual or monthly pay for captains or first officers. If one appears, we will add it here with its subject and its date.

SourcesAir China (pilot recruitment site zhaopin.airchina.com.cn), “飞行员招聘 ／ 薪酬福利” (pilot pay and benefits page)No publication or effective date given · checked 29 September 2026

Jobs

Airline’s careers page
Assignment after graduation
Graduates who meet the flight requirements are posted to the head office, a branch or a subsidiary2026 flight student job posting (4 November 2025)
Training universities
Beihang University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Civil Aviation Flight University of China and Civil Aviation University of China2026 flight student job posting (4 November 2025)
Sources1

Air China “2026年招收飞行学生简章”checked 19 October 2026

Destinations & layovers

Some destinationsGrouped by region, not by popularity

8 airports

Sourcesbasis · conditions · date
Conditions
  • Airports in official materials from Air China, on international segments to and from the US flown by Air China scheduled passenger flights in the US DOT (BTS) July 2026 traffic data, in airport and aviation authority materials, and in other materials.
  • Destinations confirmed in our research: 8 airports, as of 29 October 2026. This may not be every destination. It does not show which aircraft types or bases fly there, or whether crews lay over.
  • Sorted by region (cities with a photo first), not by popularity or number of flights.
As of
Checked in our research on 29 October 2026
Photo credits5

Tell us one thing about Air China.

You can save after answering just one question. Answers are anonymous and appear on the airline page once three pilots have answered the same item.

Answers so far

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Roster10 questions
Commuting and taxis8 questions
Staff Travel10 questions
Upgrade to captain4 questions
Training and career8 questions
Leave and allowances9 questions
Hotels and restaurantsBy destination · pilots only

Reviews

Member posts: —
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Air China captain salary in 2026?

We estimate an Air China captain at $192K a year, gross, before income tax. It is our own estimate, worked out from publicly available information; the actual figure moves with the aircraft type, years of service and the routes you fly. The airline's own pay and benefits page describes pay as fixed salary, flight duty allowance, bonuses, other allowances and an annual incentive. Agency postings quoting figures such as USD 18,200 a month for a B777 captain are for Air China Cargo, a separate company, and we do not use them here.

What is the Air China first officer salary?

We estimate an Air China first officer at $98K a year, gross, before income tax. It is our own estimate, worked out from publicly available information; the actual figure moves with the aircraft type, years of service and the hours you fly.

What are the requirements to become an Air China pilot?

Contract Captain (Foreign) — Int'l widebody (irregular). Key requirements: License: ATPL (ICAO); CAAC: License conversion required. We have not been able to confirm flight-hour requirements the airline publishes; the airline’s careers page is linked under Jobs above. ⚠️ CAAC license conversion requires time and cost. Plan carefully.

What is the Air China pilot salary per month?

We do not publish a monthly figure for Air China. An annual figure divided by twelve is not what lands in a given month — what you are paid moves with the hours you fly.

What is the Air China pilot pay scale?

We estimate annual pay for Air China captains at about $192K. That is our own estimate from public information, not a figure Air China publishes. These are gross figures, before income tax. The actual figure moves with the aircraft type, years of service and the routes you fly. We estimate annual pay for Air China first officers at about $98K. That is our own estimate from public information, not a figure Air China publishes. These are gross figures, before income tax. The actual figure moves with the aircraft type, years of service and the routes you fly. The airline has a pay and benefits page for pilots on its own recruitment site, and it states no amount at all. It says only that pay is made up of fixed salary, flight duty allowance, bonuses, other allowances and an annual incentive, and that the level is high within the industry. The page carries no publication date and no effective date. Source checked 2026-09-29; yen figures are converted for comparison at the rate held as of 2026-08-22, not a live rate.

Is the Air China pilot salary before or after tax?

Every figure on this page is gross, before income tax. Take-home depends on where you are resident and on your own deductions, so no single percentage applies, and we do not publish one. Airlines based in countries with no personal income tax — the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia — leave more of the same gross figure in your hand.