What do the best-paid Air France pilots earn?

According to an internal document reported by the newspaper Libération in September 2018, 99 of Air France's 2,831 pilots earned more than EUR 300,000 gross a year, and nearly 30% of its pilots earned more than EUR 200,000 gross a year. The ten best-paid pilots received EUR 340,000 a year. Most of the highest earners were captains, often instructors, flying the largest long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380. At the time, the president of the Spaf pilots' union said a medium-haul captain at Air France was paid 40% less than at a Gulf airline.1

What does an average Air France pilot earn?

According to Air France chief executive Franck Terner, quoted by La Tribune in January 2018, average gross annual pay per full-time pilot rose from 179,000 euros in 2012 to 201,000 euros in 2017. That average covers first officers and captains together. In October 2014 a subheading in L'Echo Touristique put Air France pilot pay at 11,000 to 20,000 euros gross a month, without saying in the free excerpt which rank earns what. At the time, the fixed part was about a quarter of total pay, with the variable part based on flight hours, paid at higher rates on heavier aircraft and with a night premium.1112

How is Air France pilot pay structured?

According to the SNPL pilots' union, the pay of Air France and Transavia France pilots is closely linked to actual flying activity, unlike competitors where pilots have a fixed salary. As a result, from April 2020 their pay fell by 25% to 40% compared with before the pandemic. In August 2020 the union said a voluntary departure scheme would see 400 pilots, nearly 10% of the workforce, leave the airline at the end of that month. In June 2023 Air France agreed a general 3% pay rise with a minimum of 85 euros in its annual pay round, but the SNPL did not sign, so the rise did not apply to pilots.23

What pay rises have Air France pilots had since 2019?

In February 2019, 85.42% of Air France pilots voting, on a 70.51% turnout, backed a new agreement with the SNPL union, which according to Air Journal included a 4% pay rise for pilots only. In January 2018 the SNPL and Alter had asked for 10.7%, partly to catch up on inflation since pay scales were frozen in 2011, while management offered 0.6%. The 2024 pay agreement, signed by the SNPL, raised pilot pay scales (excluding chief pilots) by 2.5% from 1 April 2024. The 2025 agreement brought a 1% general rise from 1 April 2025, applied to pilots through higher pay scales, and was signed by the CFDT, CFE-CGC and UNSA Aérien rather than the SNPL. The 2026 agreement repeats a 1% general rise from 1 April 2026 for pilots through higher pay scales; its signatories were the CFDT, CFE-CGC and FO. It also sets a company-wide guaranteed minimum of 30,000 euros gross a year for full-time staff, including those paid on pilot scales, which is a floor rather than typical pilot pay. Under a pilot agreement dated 5 December 2025, signed by the SNPL and ALTER, positioning travel is paid as credited hours from rosters starting no later than 1 June 2026, with business class on flights where available.8910111314

What does the Air France cadet scheme cost and pay?

Air France's cadet scheme lasts about 24 months in partner schools, with the full training cost paid by the airline, apart from one-off selection fees in earlier campaigns. It includes around 150 flight hours and 80 simulator hours, after which successful cadets join Air France on the Airbus A220 or A320, or Transavia on the Boeing 737 or A320neo, as first officers. The 2026 campaign took applications from 15 June to 31 July 2026. When the scheme restarted in 2018, Air France put the cost at about 100,000 euros per cadet, with a training repayment clause in return. In 2018 the airline said cadets are paid slightly less in their first years than other new pilots, to repay part of that investment. Previous campaigns required European Economic Area or Swiss nationality and command of French and English.45

Where are Air France pilots based?

Besides its two Paris bases at Charles de Gaulle and Orly, Air France also has bases in Marseille, Toulouse, Nice and Pointe-à-Pitre, according to the SNPL. Its low-cost arm Transavia France started flying in 2007 under an agreement with pilots signed by the SNPL. For pilots who fund their own training, the SNPL estimates the cost at around 100,000 euros, and airlines often also ask for a type rating costing at least 20,000 euros.67