Can you move from ANA to Emirates?

Yes. Emirates has a track record of hiring serving ANA and JAL pilots. The requirements are ICAO Level 4 or above English, an ATPL and the necessary flight hours (3,000+ hours for Captain). Note, however, that returning to ANA or JAL after the move is currently very difficult.

Should I choose ANA or Emirates?

If annual salary and take-home pay are the top priority, Emirates. If life with your family, stability in Japan and life after retirement matter more, ANA. There is no universally right answer — it depends on your values, family situation, English ability and risk tolerance. Because coming back to ANA once you have joined Emirates is difficult, the move needs to be weighed carefully as a one-way decision.

ANA vs Emirates Pilot Salary Comparison

ANA Captain — our estimate

$179K

UAE personal income tax

Emirates pay is not taxed where you work

Emirates Captain — recruitment example, cash pay

$157K

Total package about $323K — tax-free

What is published

What each airline publishes, and what tax-free means

Headline salary alone is not comparable. Tax regime, allowances and cost-of-living support are handled differently at each airline.

Item	ANA Captain (Tokyo)	Emirates Captain (Dubai)
Captain, our estimate	$179K	$233K our estimate from public information
What the airline publishes	None	$157K (recruitment example, cash pay — $13K a month)
Income tax	Taxed (up to 45%)	$0 (tax-free)
Residence tax	Taxed	$0
Social insurance	Yes	Partial only
Housing	Out of pocket	Company-paid (counted in the recruitment package)
Children's education	Out of pocket	Company-paid (counted in the recruitment package)

About the Emirates figures: They come from the recruitment example for a direct-entry captain on the airline's own careers page. The cash pay is basic pay plus a flying allowance, on the stated premise of 85 flying hours a month. The total package adds housing, transport, school fees, medical cover, insurance, leave tickets and the company pension contribution, on the premise of the pilot, a spouse and two eligible children. Neither is an all-staff average or a guaranteed minimum, and the package is not money that arrives as cash. The ANA figure is our own estimate, so with figures of different kinds we give no gap and no multiple.

Full comparison

ANA vs Emirates — full comparison table

Category	ANA	Emirates (EK)	Advantage
Captain, annual pay	$170K (our estimate)	$157K (recruitment example, cash pay)	Different kinds of figure — not compared
Income tax	Up to 45%	0% (tax-free)	EK clear win
Years to Captain upgrade	15–18 years	5–8 years (joining as F/O)	EK is faster
Paid leave	20+ days per year	42 days per year + home-leave tickets	EK advantage
Distance from family	Based in Japan (close)	Dubai (far)	ANA advantage
Job security	High (major Japanese carrier)	Exposed to performance-linked risk	ANA advantage
Able to work in Japanese	Yes	English only	ANA advantage
Life after retirement	Secure in Japan (pension and severance)	Must be arranged separately	ANA advantage
Returning to ANA or JAL	Not applicable (already employed)	Difficult (no mid-career hiring)	ANA advantage
Route diversity	90+ countries	150+ cities	EK advantage

Decision criteria

What separates the pilots who move to Emirates from those who don't

Profile of pilots who choose Emirates

✦Maximizing take-home income is the number-one priority
✦Fluent in English and comfortable in a foreign-carrier environment
✦Able to bring the family (or single, or fine with an unaccompanied posting)
✦Wants an environment where career progression is faster than in Japan
✦Decides to move while still an ANA First Officer
✦Wants route experience across 150 cities worldwide

Profile of pilots who stay at ANA

✦Values staying close to family and parents
✦Prioritizes stability over the long road to Captain (15–18 years)
✦Values the reassurance of Japan's pension and social insurance system
✦Job security matters most — unwilling to take on business-performance risk
✦Plans to live in Japan after retirement
✦Prefers life in a Japanese-language environment and Japanese culture

Important: a move to Emirates is a one-way decision

ANA and JAL currently do not run mid-career hiring for serving pilots. If you move to Emirates, you need to make the decision on the assumption that, as a rule, there is no way back. The pay on offer is compelling, but the call has to be made on the whole picture — family, retirement and your long-term life plan in Japan.

FAQ

ANA vs Emirates — frequently asked questions

How large is the pay gap between ANA and Emirates?+

We do not publish a gap. Our own estimate for an ANA captain is $179K, and $98K for a first officer. Emirates publishes a recruitment example: for a direct-entry captain, cash pay of about $157K a year (about $13K a month), and a total package worth about $323K a year once housing, transport, school fees, medical cover, insurance, leave tickets and the company pension contribution are added. Neither is an all-staff average nor a guaranteed minimum, and the package is not money that arrives as cash.

Can an ANA pilot move to Emirates?+

Yes. The requirements are ICAO Level 4 or above English, a current ATPL and the necessary flight hours (3,000+ hours for Captain). There is a substantial track record of Japanese pilots being hired. Applications usually go through a recruitment agency such as CAE or Parc Aviation.

Can you move to Emirates and later return to ANA?+

At present it is extremely difficult. Neither ANA nor JAL publicly runs mid-career hiring for serving pilots (CPL/ATPL holders). Treat a move to Emirates as a one-way decision and weigh it against your total life plan.

What would an ANA First Officer earn after moving to Emirates?+

Emirates publishes a recruitment example for first officers too. On the Standard terms it is cash pay of about $105K a year (about $8.7K a month), with a total package worth about $245K once housing, school fees and the rest are counted. The Enhanced terms, for first officers who meet set experience and licensing conditions and not common to all, are cash pay of about $113K a year (about $9.4K a month) and a package of about $255K. Our own estimate for an ANA first officer is about $98K. With figures of different kinds we give no gap and no multiple.

Will an Emirates pilot's retirement pension be secure?+

Japanese employees' pension contributions stop while you are posted overseas (voluntary enrollment in the National Pension remains possible). You need a plan to channel the higher earnings you make at Emirates into investment and wealth-building, accumulating your own retirement assets. Putting that high income to work through vehicles such as iDeCo (Japan's individual defined-contribution pension) and overseas investments becomes essential.

ANA

ANA pilot salary — full detail

Take-home, pay by aircraft type and time to upgrade, explained in depth

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Emirates pilot salary — full detail

How the tax-free structure works and what life in Dubai is really like