France's international flag carrier and a SkyTeam founding member, flying widebodies out of Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Air France is France's international flag carrier, founded in 1933 and hubbed at Paris Charles de Gaulle, serving more than 170 cities worldwide. A SkyTeam founding member, it forms the Air France-KLM group with KLM and also operates the low-cost subsidiary Transavia.
France levies high income tax (up to 45%), but pay and conditions for European pilots are generally stable. The fleet is widebody-focused, led by the A380, B777 and A350.
* Figures are reference values based on public data and industry benchmarks. Verify actual compensation with each airline's official recruitment information.
| Position | Salary Range | Avg / Reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain International widebody |
¥27.5M–¥60.2M |
¥35.3M | Pre-tax |
| First Officer Seniority-based |
¥12M–¥29.2M |
¥18.1M | Seniority-based |
Converted at EUR/JPY=163. Compensation is EUR-based and quoted pre-tax. French income tax is progressive up to 45%. Flight-day and layover per diems are paid separately.
Modeled from the captain / first-officer ranges above, sliced into standard career stages. Bands marked est. are derived from those ranges (not official); verified bands come from active-pilot data. Management pay is crowd-sourced from verified pilots.
| Career Stage | Years | Annual (pre-tax) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadet / Trainee | ≤2 yrs | ¥3.6M–¥6M | est. |
| First Officer — Junior | 3–5 yrs | ¥12M–¥19.7M | est. |
| First Officer — Mid | 6–10 yrs | ¥16.8M–¥24.4M | est. |
| First Officer — Senior | 11–15 yrs | ¥21.5M–¥29.2M | est. |
| Captain — New | 15–18 yrs | ¥27.5M–¥42.2M | est. |
| Captain — Mid | 19–24 yrs | ¥36.7M–¥51M | est. |
| Senior Captain | 25+ yrs | ¥45.5M–¥60.2M | est. |
| Management / Instructor / Examiner | — | Data wanted | crowd-sourced |
From the Paris Charles de Gaulle hub, Air France serves North America (New York, Los Angeles, Montreal), Asia (Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok), Africa (50+ cities), Latin America and the Middle East.
Airbus A380-800, A350-900, A330-200/300, Boeing 777-200ER/300ER, A220-300, A320/A321. Around 220 aircraft.
Type rating earned at an EASA Approved Training Organization: ground school → simulator (incl. MCC) → LIFUS.
After the type rating, Line Flying Under Supervision with an instructor captain — typically 50–80 legs (per EASA FCL.060).
Proficiency checks 1–2 times per year to EASA FCL.625/735 standards, overseen by national CAAs (DGAC and others).
Command training after a Senior F/O period. Additional qualifications include LVP (low-visibility procedures), PBN, ETOPS and RVSM.
Heavily discounted or free tickets for pilots and family, usable on alliance partner airlines too.
High-standard European medical cover. Loss-of-license insurance is also common.
Performance-linked bonus of roughly 2–4 months' pay, sometimes tied to individual evaluation.
25–35 days per year, backed by generous EU labor-law leave provisions.
Defined-benefit or defined-contribution company pension (DBP/DCP), layered on top of the state pension.
Accommodation and per diems for overseas stays; higher cost-of-living allowances for major European cities.
Hiring status: Foreign hiring of EASA ATPL holders is limited; French-language ability is an advantage.
Foreign hiring is sometimes run via joint recruitment campaigns with KLM.
| Airline | Captain (range) | First Officer | Income Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air France 🇫🇷 | ¥27.5M–¥60.2M | ¥12M–¥29.2M | Income tax applies |
| ANA 🇯🇵 | ¥22M–¥35M | ¥14M–¥21M | ~33% (Japan) |
| JAL 🇯🇵 | ¥22M–¥35M | ¥14M–¥21M | ~33% (Japan) |
* Salary figures are SSOT reference values (pre-tax unless marked tax-free). ANA / JAL shown as the Japan baseline — ~33% income tax applies in Japan, so after-tax take-home is lower than the headline. Tax-free carriers pay 100% take-home. Verify exact figures with each airline.
Air France captain pay averages about ¥35.3M per year (range ¥27.5M–¥60.2M), pre-tax. Figures are reference values based on public data and industry benchmarks.
Air France first officer pay averages about ¥18.1M per year (range ¥12M–¥29.2M), pre-tax, rising with seniority — see the Career Ladder above for the year-by-year breakdown.
Captain / First Officer (Regular Recruitment) — International flights. Paris CDG base.. Key requirements — License: EASA ATPL (or FCL-approved equivalent); English: ICAO Level 4+; Min. Flight Time: Captain 5,000h+ (guide); French: Conversational recommended. Foreign hiring is sometimes run via joint recruitment campaigns with KLM.
Air France captains average ¥35.3M, versus roughly ¥27M at ANA / JAL. Both figures are pre-tax; Japan applies ~33% income tax.