IJ
🇯🇵 JapanCheck StatusLCCJAL Group

Spring Japan

JAL Group LCC. A320 on domestic routes and China-focused international routes.

¥20M
Capt. Avg (pre-tax)
¥11.5M
FO Avg (pre-tax)
A320
Fleet
Est. 2012
Founded
Overview

About Spring Japan

Spring Japan (春秋航空日本) was established in 2012 as a joint venture with China's Spring Airlines Group, now part of the JAL Group. Operating from Narita with domestic and China-focused international routes.

One of the few Japanese LCCs with strong China route coverage. For pilots with Chinese language skills, this is a particularly unique career opportunity.

HQ
Narita, Chiba (NRT)
Founded
2012
Parent
JAL Group
Hub
Narita (NRT)
Fleet
A320-200
Ret. Age
65
Salary Data

Pilot Salary (as of March 2026)

* Figures are reference values based on public data and industry benchmarks. Verify actual compensation with each airline's official recruitment information.

PositionSalary RangeAvg / ReferenceNotes
Captain
A320
¥17M–¥25M
¥20M Pre-tax
First Officer
A320
¥9M–¥14M
¥11.5M Seniority-based

💡 Limited public data on Spring Japan salaries. Estimates based on comparable Japan LCC carriers. Contact recruiting directly for actual figures.

Career Ladder

Pay Scale by Seniority

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 StageYearsAnnual (pre-tax)Source
Cadet / Trainee≤2 yrs
¥3M–¥4.5M
est.
First Officer — Junior3–5 yrs
¥9M–¥11.3M
est.
First Officer — Mid6–10 yrs
¥10.4M–¥12.6M
est.
First Officer — Senior11–15 yrs
¥11.8M–¥14M
est.
Captain — New15–18 yrs
¥17M–¥20.6M
est.
Captain — Mid19–24 yrs
¥19.2M–¥22.8M
est.
Senior Captain25+ yrs
¥21.4M–¥25M
est.
Management / Instructor / ExaminerData wantedcrowd-sourced
Operations

Routes & Fleet

Routes

NRT hub — domestic: Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Saga. International: Shanghai (PVG/SHA), Xi'an, Wuhan and other China mainland cities.

Fleet

A320-200

Training

Training & Checkrides

A320 Type Rating

Using JAL Group training infrastructure. Ground → simulator → line training.

China Route Operations

China route operations require awareness of Chinese airspace procedures. Chinese language ability is organizationally valued.

Captain Upgrade

Assessment-based upgrade. Small carrier may offer earlier upgrade opportunities.

JAL Group Standards

Safety management and quality aligned with JAL Group standards.

Benefits

Pilot Benefits & Allowances

✈️
JAL Group Staff Travel

Employee discount tickets for JAL Group airlines.

🏥
Health Insurance

Health insurance. Medical exam support.

🌏
China Route Experience

Rare opportunity to fly China mainland routes as a Japan-based LCC pilot. Unique career experience.

🏦
Retirement Plan

Defined contribution pension and retirement lump sum.

📋
Loss of License

Coverage for work and non-work loss of license.

📅
International Allowance

Daily allowance for China layovers.

Job Openings

Pilot Hiring & Requirements (as of March 2026)

Hiring status: Check official site

Captain / First Officer — A320
Domestic & China routes. Narita base.
Check Official Page
License: A320 type (ATPL/CPL+IR)
Language: Japanese required. ICAO Level 4+ English.
Details: See official page

* Check Spring Japan official site and JAL Group careers page for current openings.

Comparison

Spring Japan vs Japan Majors

AirlineCaptain (range)First OfficerIncome Tax
Spring Japan 🇯🇵¥17M–¥25M¥9M–¥14M~33% (Japan)
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.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Spring Japan captain salary in 2026?

Spring Japan captain pay averages about ¥20M per year (range ¥17M–¥25M), pre-tax. Figures are reference values based on public data and industry benchmarks.

What is Spring Japan first officer salary?

Spring Japan first officer pay averages about ¥11.5M per year (range ¥9M–¥14M), pre-tax, rising with seniority — see the Career Ladder above for the year-by-year breakdown.

What are the requirements to become a Spring Japan pilot?

Captain / First Officer — A320 — Domestic & China routes. Narita base.. Key requirements — License: A320 type (ATPL/CPL+IR); Language: Japanese required. ICAO Level 4+ English.; Details: See official page. Check Spring Japan official site and JAL Group careers page for current openings.

How does Spring Japan pay compare to ANA or JAL?

Spring Japan captains average ¥20M, versus roughly ¥27M at ANA / JAL. Both figures are pre-tax; Japan applies ~33% income tax.

What is Spring Japan pilot salary per month?

Dividing the annual average by 12, Spring Japan captains earn about ¥1.67M a month and first officers about ¥0.96M. What actually lands each month moves with block hours flown, and where an annual bonus is paid the regular monthly figure sits lower with a spike in the bonus month.

What is the Spring Japan pilot pay scale?

Spring Japan first officers average ¥11.5M and captains ¥20M — a step of about ¥8.5M, or roughly 1.7×. The full range runs ¥9M to ¥25M, and where you sit inside it is set by seniority, type rating and the routes you fly. The seniority table on this page breaks the same range into career stages.

Is Spring Japan pilot salary before or after tax?

Every figure on this page is gross, before income tax. Captains average ¥20M and first officers ¥11.5M pre-tax, and income tax, social insurance and any local levies come out of that. Take-home depends on where you are resident and on your own deductions, so no single percentage applies. Airlines based in countries with no personal income tax — the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia — leave more of the same gross figure in your hand.

Compare by country

Pilot salary in Japan 26 airlines · captain avg ¥1,850万
All Nippon Airways (ANA)¥2,700万 Japan Airlines (JAL)¥2,700万 ZIPAIR Tokyo¥2,500万 Jetstar Japan¥2,400万 Peach Aviation¥2,350万 All countries