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Pilot Salary in Asia

26 airlines based in Asia, across 12 countries, compared on captain and first officer averages and ranges. Drill into a country for its own page, or into an airline for its pay breakdown, fleet and pilot reviews. 1 of them is based in a country with no personal income tax.

26 airlines · 12 countries #5 of 7 regions 1 tax-free
Captain average
¥2,140万
¥590万〜5,650万
First officer average
¥1,120万
¥300万〜3,230万
vs world average
-14%
world avg ¥2,480万
Top payer
Cathay Pacific
captain ¥3,600万

Pilot salary by country in Asia

Sorted by captain average, highest first. Open a country for its airline-by-airline breakdown, how it compares with the world average, and its income-tax status.

#CountryAirlines Captain avgCaptain range F/O avgIncome tax
1 🇨🇳 China 4 ¥2,990万 ¥2,100万〜4,800万 ¥1,520万 Yes
2 🇸🇬 Singapore 2 ¥2,880万 ¥1,900万〜4,150万 ¥1,500万 Yes
3 🇭🇰 Hong Kong 2 ¥2,830万 ¥1,400万〜5,650万 ¥1,780万 Yes
4 🇰🇷 South Korea 2 ¥2,320万 ¥1,650万〜2,750万 ¥1,180万 Yes
5 🇹🇼 Taiwan 3 ¥2,180万 ¥1,370万〜3,900万 ¥1,190万 Yes
6 🇧🇳 Brunei 1 ¥2,050万 ¥1,700万〜2,450万 ¥1,100万 None
7 🇹🇭 Thailand 1 ¥1,850万 ¥1,500万〜2,420万 ¥880万 Yes
8 🇻🇳 Vietnam 3 ¥1,850万 ¥1,200万〜2,500万 ¥1,020万 Yes
9 🇲🇾 Malaysia 2 ¥1,600万 ¥1,050万〜2,600万 ¥800万 Yes
10 🇮🇳 India 2 ¥1,580万 ¥1,100万〜2,200万 ¥610万 Yes
11 🇵🇭 Philippines 1 ¥1,550万 ¥1,150万〜2,100万 ¥750万 Yes
12 🇮🇩 Indonesia 2 ¥1,190万 ¥590万〜2,200万 ¥580万 Yes

Note: Root Aviation has no registered home country, so it is excluded from the country table above but included in the airline list below.

Pilot salary by airline in Asia (26 airlines)

All 26 airlines, sorted by captain average. Click an airline for its pay breakdown, fleet, hiring requirements and reviews from working pilots.

Airline Country Captain avg Captain range F/O avg F/O range
Cathay Pacific 🇭🇰 Hong Kong ¥3,600万 ¥3,000万〜5,650万 ¥2,400万 ¥1,800万〜3,230万
Singapore Airlines 🇸🇬 Singapore ¥3,400万 ¥2,750万〜4,150万 ¥1,850万 ¥1,100万〜2,280万
Air China 🇨🇳 China ¥3,050万 ¥2,200万〜4,800万 ¥1,550万 ¥1,000万〜2,200万
Hainan Airlines 🇨🇳 China ¥3,050万 ¥2,200万〜4,800万 ¥1,550万 ¥1,000万〜2,200万
China Southern Airlines 🇨🇳 China ¥2,950万 ¥2,100万〜4,700万 ¥1,500万 ¥980万〜2,100万
China Eastern Airlines 🇨🇳 China ¥2,900万 ¥2,100万〜4,600万 ¥1,480万 ¥980万〜2,100万
STARLUX Airlines 🇹🇼 Taiwan ¥2,800万 ¥2,000万〜3,900万 ¥1,500万 ¥1,200万〜1,700万
Korean Air 🇰🇷 South Korea ¥2,450万 ¥1,850万〜2,750万 ¥1,250万 ¥950万〜1,430万
Scoot 🇸🇬 Singapore ¥2,350万 ¥1,900万〜2,900万 ¥1,150万 ¥850万〜1,450万
Asiana Airlines 🇰🇷 South Korea ¥2,180万 ¥1,650万〜2,450万 ¥1,110万 ¥840万〜1,270万
HK Express 🇭🇰 Hong Kong ¥2,050万 ¥1,400万〜2,600万 ¥1,150万 ¥800万〜1,500万
Royal Brunei Airlines 🇧🇳 Brunei ¥2,050万 ¥1,700万〜2,450万 ¥1,100万 ¥900万〜1,350万
China Airlines 🇹🇼 Taiwan ¥2,000万 ¥1,500万〜2,450万 ¥1,100万 ¥700万〜1,280万
Malaysia Airlines 🇲🇾 Malaysia ¥1,900万 ¥1,300万〜2,600万 ¥1,000万 ¥650万〜1,350万
Vietnam Airlines 🇻🇳 Vietnam ¥1,900万 ¥1,400万〜2,500万 ¥1,050万 ¥700万〜1,450万
Thai Airways International 🇹🇭 Thailand ¥1,850万 ¥1,500万〜2,420万 ¥880万 ¥660万〜1,140万
Bamboo Airways 🇻🇳 Vietnam ¥1,850万 ¥1,300万〜2,400万 ¥1,050万 ¥700万〜1,400万
VietJet Air 🇻🇳 Vietnam ¥1,800万 ¥1,200万〜2,300万 ¥950万 ¥600万〜1,350万
EVA Air 🇹🇼 Taiwan ¥1,750万 ¥1,370万〜2,200万 ¥980万 ¥600万〜1,180万
IndiGo 🇮🇳 India ¥1,600万 ¥1,150万〜2,200万 ¥500万 ¥340万〜650万
Air India 🇮🇳 India ¥1,550万 ¥1,100万〜2,000万 ¥720万 ¥540万〜900万
Philippine Airlines 🇵🇭 Philippines ¥1,550万 ¥1,150万〜2,100万 ¥750万 ¥500万〜1,050万
Garuda Indonesia 🇮🇩 Indonesia ¥1,500万 ¥1,050万〜2,200万 ¥720万 ¥470万〜980万
Root Aviation — ¥1,300万 ¥1,000万〜1,800万 ¥720万 ¥500万〜1,000万
AirAsia Group 🇲🇾 Malaysia ¥1,300万 ¥1,050万〜1,680万 ¥600万 ¥400万〜780万
Batik Air 🇮🇩 Indonesia ¥880万 ¥590万〜1,180万 ¥430万 ¥300万〜560万

Where Asia sits worldwide

Captain averages by region. Asia sits at ¥2,140万 against a ¥2,480万 average across all 112 airlines — about 14% below. That is 5th of the 7 regions.

World average
¥2,480万
North America
¥4,110万
The Middle East
¥3,030万
Oceania
¥2,780万
Europe
¥2,560万
Asia
¥2,140万
Latin America
¥2,050万
Africa
¥1,490万
Japan
¥1,850万

Regional figures are the unweighted mean of captain averages for the airlines we list there. Japan has no separate regional hub — see the Japan page. First officers in Asia average ¥1,120万, against ¥1,400万 across all 112 airlines.

Compare other regions

🇺🇸🇨🇦
North America
14 airlines · 2 countries
¥4,110万
🇸🇦🇦🇪🇶🇦
The Middle East
9 airlines · 7 countries
¥3,030万
🇳🇿🇦🇺🇫🇯
Oceania
4 airlines · 3 countries
¥2,780万
🇨🇭🇳🇱🇫🇷
Europe
25 airlines · 18 countries
¥2,560万
🇲🇽🇵🇦🇨🇱
Latin America
4 airlines · 4 countries
¥2,050万
🇪🇹🇪🇬🇰🇪
Africa
4 airlines · 4 countries
¥1,490万
🇯🇵
Japan
26 airlines
¥1,850万

Frequently asked questions

How much do pilots earn in Asia?
Across the 26 Asia airlines on PILOT VALUE, captains average ¥2,140万 (¥590万〜5,650万) and first officers average ¥1,120万 (¥300万〜3,230万). That is about 14% below the ¥2,480万 captain average across all 112 airlines we track, and 5th of the 7 regions we group them into.
Which airline in Asia pays pilots the most?
Of the 26 airlines listed, Cathay Pacific pays the most: captains average ¥3,600万 (¥3,000万〜5,650万) and first officers ¥2,400万 (¥1,800万〜3,230万).
Which country in Asia pays pilots the most?
Of the 12 countries in Asia that we cover, China is highest: captains at its 4 listed airlines average ¥2,990万.
What is the monthly pilot salary in Asia?
Dividing the regional average by 12 gives roughly ¥178万 a month for captains and ¥93万 for first officers. 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.
Is pilot pay in Asia tax-free?
1 of the 26 airlines listed is based in a country that levies no personal income tax, so for that one the figures above are close to take-home. Against an identical gross salary in a country that taxes income, the amount you actually keep is materially higher.
How does it compare with Japanese airlines?
Captains at the 26 Japanese airlines we list average ¥1,850万. Asia at ¥2,140万 is ¥290万 higher.

Where to next

All countries All 112 airlines Pilot salary guide Overseas jobs