China Eastern Airlines

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China Eastern Airlines — SkyTeam member

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Pay

Taxed (China)

China Eastern Airlines Captain, estimated annual pay

$300K

China Eastern Airlines First Officer, estimated annual pay

$93K

Our estimate

Submitted payREAL PAY

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Who it covers, what’s included, and when
Captain
The foreign-pilot posting’s “annual salary package of USD 300,000” (monthly pay, bonus and allowances).As of: No date given on the page (checked 30 October 2026)
Captain, A330 (Shanghai base, 75 hours a calendar month, three-year contract)
$20KUSD 19,500 cash pay, monthly
Captain, A330 (Shanghai base, 75 hours a calendar month, three-year contract)
$300KUSD 300,000 total package, annual (includes the cash pay)
First Officer
Our estimate
  • These are the amounts stated in a posting by a recruitment company in Hong Kong. The posting page carries no date at all (Internet Archive snapshots show the same figures from 2025-06-17 onwards).
  • It assumes 75 hours per calendar month, a Shanghai base, a three-year renewable contract, 21 days on and 10 days off, and 15 days of annual leave. The requirements are an A330 type rating and 5,500 hours of PIC time, of which 500 hours on type.
  • The annual figure of USD 300,000 includes the monthly pay. Its parts are 19,500 x 12 = 234,000 of monthly pay, 30,000 of housing allowance, 12,000 of extra air travel allowance and 24,000 of annual bonus, which come to exactly 300,000 (the posting does not show this arithmetic; we checked it ourselves). It is not a figure to be counted twice with the monthly pay.
  • The housing allowance (USD 2,500 a month) and the extra air travel allowance (USD 1,000 a month) start after the first three months of training. The annual bonus is stated as USD 2,000 a month, paid in one sum at the end of the contract year.
  • The same posting also states USD 345 an hour, but 19,500 divided by 75 hours is 260, and the posting does not explain how the two relate. We have therefore not connected them.
  • The posting does not say whether the figures are before or after tax. It is a contract for foreign pilots, and requires the nationality of a state that has diplomatic relations with China.
  • There is no posting for first officers. We found no figure for first officers, either from the airline or from a recruitment company.

SourcesA vacancy posted by the recruitment agency Asia Pacific Aviation Services Limited (APAS, Hong Kong), “China Eastern Airlines - A330 Captains (Shanghai base, three-year renewable contract)”No date anywhere on the page · checked 30 October 2026

Destinations & layovers

Some destinationsGrouped by region, not by popularity

4 airports

Sourcesbasis · conditions · date
Conditions
  • Airports with China Eastern flights in Chubu Centrair’s international timetable (1–24 October 2026), and airports on international segments to and from the US flown by China Eastern scheduled passenger flights in the US DOT (BTS) July 2026 traffic data. Airports of the base city (Shanghai) are not included.
  • Destinations confirmed in our research: 4 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 credits4

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the China Eastern Airlines captain salary in 2026?

We estimate a China Eastern captain at $300K a year. This is the total annual package in a posting for A330 captains from APAS, a recruitment company in Hong Kong: USD 300,000 a year, which already includes the monthly pay of USD 19,500. The posting does not say whether it is before or after tax. These are not the airline's own figures, the posting page carries no date at all, and it assumes a Shanghai base, 75 hours a calendar month and a three-year contract.

What is the China Eastern Airlines first officer salary?

We estimate a China Eastern first officer at $93K a year. 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. The agency posting is for captains only.

What are the requirements to become a China Eastern Airlines pilot?

Contract Captain (Foreign) — International (irregular). Key requirements: License: ATPL (ICAO); CAAC: License conversion required.

What is the China Eastern Airlines pilot salary per month?

Captain, A330 (Shanghai base, 75 hours a calendar month, three-year contract): cash pay, monthly $20K. These are the monthly figures the airline publishes, not an annual figure divided by twelve. Twelve times the monthly figure does not equal the published annual figure, and we leave both as published. A total package that includes housing and school fees divided by twelve is not a monthly salary.

What is the China Eastern Airlines pilot pay scale?

For captains we publish a job posting rather than an average — Captain, A330 (Shanghai base, 75 hours a calendar month, three-year contract): total package, annual (includes the cash pay) $300K. This is not an all-staff average. We estimate annual pay for China Eastern Airlines first officers at about $93K. That is our own estimate from public information, not a figure China Eastern Airlines publishes. The sources do not say whether the China Eastern Airlines figures on this page are before or after tax. The actual figure moves with the aircraft type, years of service and the routes you fly. These are the amounts stated in a posting by a recruitment company in Hong Kong. The posting page carries no date at all (Internet Archive snapshots show the same figures from 2025-06-17 onwards). Source checked 2026-10-30; yen figures are converted for comparison at the rate held as of 2026-08-22, not a live rate.

Is the China Eastern Airlines pilot salary before or after tax?

The sources do not say whether the China Eastern Airlines figures on this page are before or after 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.