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Pilot Salary in Asia
27 airlines based in Asia, across 12 countries, compared on our captain and first officer estimates 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.
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.
| # | Country | Airlines | Captain est. | Captain range | F/O est. | Income tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 2 | $290K | $88K〜$484K | $139K | Yes |
| 2 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 2 | $230K | $120K〜$280K | $107K | Yes |
| 3 | 🇨🇳 China | 5 | $223K | $132K〜$330K | $101K | Yes |
| 4 | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 3 | $201K | $151K〜$252K | $101K | Yes |
| 5 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 2 | $158K | $104K〜$202K | $77K | Yes |
| 6 | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 1 | $136K | $94K〜$169K | $63K | Yes |
| 7 | 🇧🇳 Brunei | 1 | $129K | $107K〜$154K | $69K | None |
| 8 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 3 | $120K | $75K〜$157K | $62K | Yes |
| 9 | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 2 | $119K | $66K〜$198K | $48K | Yes |
| 10 | 🇮🇳 India | 2 | $109K | $69K〜$138K | $55K | Yes |
| 11 | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 1 | $105K | $72K〜$137K | $50K | Yes |
| 12 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 2 | $94K | $37K〜$138K | $45K | 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 (27 airlines)
Airlines whose sources we have checked come first, each figure shown with who it applies to, what it includes and when it was published. The rest are sorted by captain average, highest first. Click an airline for its pay breakdown, fleet, hiring requirements and reviews from working pilots.
Airlines with sources checked (18)
“Official posting” means a figure the airline itself published in a vacancy; “job posting” a figure from a recruitment agency's advert; “past ad” a vacancy that has since closed; “modelled example” a figure with a document and a calculation behind it. “Estimated” is our own estimate from public information, not a figure the airline publishes.
| Airline | Country | Position | Annual figure we publish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Pacific | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | Captain | $319K (Estimated) |
| First officer | First Officer: $123K (target annual salary, Modelled example); Second Officer: $80K (target annual salary, Modelled example) | ||
| Juneyao Airlines | 🇨🇳 China | Captain | $318K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $212K (Estimated) | ||
| China Eastern Airlines | 🇨🇳 China | Captain | Captain, A330 (Shanghai base, 75 hours a calendar month, three-year contract): $300K (total package, annual (includes the cash pay), Job posting) |
| First officer | $93K (Estimated) | ||
| Singapore Airlines | 🇸🇬 Singapore | Captain | $252K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $116K (Estimated) | ||
| China Airlines | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | Captain | $220K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $94K (Estimated) | ||
| STARLUX Airlines | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | Captain | $195K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $123K (Estimated) | ||
| Air China | 🇨🇳 China | Captain | $192K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $98K (Estimated) | ||
| EVA Air | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | Captain | $186K (Estimated) |
| First officer | First officer (four-year contract): $100K (annual pay (the figure the airline says is exceeded), Official posting) | ||
| China Southern Airlines | 🇨🇳 China | Captain | $186K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $94K (Estimated) | ||
| Malaysia Airlines | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | Captain | $167K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $68K (Estimated) | ||
| Korean Air | 🇰🇷 South Korea | Captain | $162K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $81K (Estimated) | ||
| Asiana Airlines | 🇰🇷 South Korea | Captain | $148K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $70K (Estimated) | ||
| Thai Airways International | 🇹🇭 Thailand | Captain | $136K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $63K (Estimated) | ||
| VietJet Air | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | Captain | $120K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $60K (Estimated) | ||
| IndiGo | 🇮🇳 India | Captain | $111K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $61K (Estimated) | ||
| Air India | 🇮🇳 India | Captain | $106K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $45K (Estimated) | ||
| Philippine Airlines | 🇵🇭 Philippines | Captain | $105K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $50K (Estimated) | ||
| AirAsia Group | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | Captain | $96K (Estimated) |
| First officer | $38K (Estimated) |
Other airlines listed (9)
We have not yet traced the sources for these airlines one by one.
| Airline | Country | Captain est. | Captain range | F/O est. | F/O range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hainan Airlines | 🇨🇳 China | $192K | $138K〜$302K | $98K | $63K〜$138K |
| Scoot | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $148K | $120K〜$182K | $72K | $53K〜$91K |
| HK Express | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | $129K | $88K〜$164K | $72K | $50K〜$94K |
| Royal Brunei Airlines | 🇧🇳 Brunei | $129K | $107K〜$154K | $69K | $57K〜$85K |
| Vietnam Airlines | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $120K | $88K〜$157K | $66K | $44K〜$91K |
| Bamboo Airways | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $116K | $82K〜$151K | $66K | $44K〜$88K |
| Garuda Indonesia | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | $94K | $66K〜$138K | $45K | $30K〜$62K |
| Root Aviation | — | $82K | $63K〜$113K | $45K | $31K〜$63K |
| Batik Air | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | $55K | $37K〜$74K | $27K | $19K〜$35K |
Where Asia sits worldwide
Captain averages by region. Asia sits at $195K against a $270K world average — about 28% below. That is 5th of the 7 regions we publish an average for.
Regional figures are the mean of our captain estimates for the airlines we list there. Japan has no separate regional hub — see the Japan page. First officers in Asia average $90K, against $154K worldwide. Airlines whose sources we have checked and relabelled are included in that mean at their estimated pay.
Compare other regions
Frequently asked questions
How much do pilots earn in Asia?
Which airline in Asia pays pilots the most?
Which country in Asia pays pilots the most?
What is the monthly pilot salary in Asia?
Is pilot pay in Asia tax-free?
How does it compare with Japanese airlines?
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