What does each rank earn at Air India in 2026?

Air India raised pilot pay by 8% to 15% in August 2026, and commanders saw the largest increases. For a senior commander flying about 55 hours in a month, pay rises to Rs 8.3 lakh from Rs 7.5 lakh, while a first officer on similar hours now gets Rs 3.3 lakh from just over Rs 3 lakh. An internal document reported by The Economic Times, as summarised by Business Today, puts a senior commander at around Rs 7 lakh a month for 40 hours from October 2026, up from Rs 6.41 lakh, and at around Rs 8.9 lakh at the 70-hour maximum, up from Rs 7.61 lakh.12

How does the 40-hour guarantee work?

Air India pays pilots for a guaranteed 40 flying hours a month and has raised the rates for hours flown above that threshold. The Times of India notes that IndiGo, by contrast, pays a fixed salary covering 70 hours. The guarantee dates from the April 2023 restructuring, when Business Today, citing a source quoted by PTI, reported that the guaranteed flying allowance would double from 20 to 40 hours. The pilot unions described the same change as a cut from 70 to 40 hours. In 2026, pilots also raised concerns that hours are now counted on published block time rather than actual flying time.12456

Which ranks and bonuses exist?

According to a source quoted by PTI and reported by Business Today, the April 2023 structure would add the ranks of junior first officer and senior commander, and many commanders with four or more years in the role would be promoted to senior commander, with an extra allowance for executive duties. In May 2024 Air India raised fixed monthly pay by between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000 from first officer up to senior commander, with no rise for junior first officers. It also introduced an annual performance bonus from FY2024-25: Rs 42,000 for junior first officers, Rs 60,000 for first officers and captains, 1.32 lakh for commanders and 1.80 lakh for senior commanders.58

What allowances come with the 2026 package?

Sources quoted by Times Now say senior commanders receive a Rs 21 lakh Boeing 737 fleet allowance and eligible senior first officers a Rs 10 lakh B737 retention allowance. Business Today describes a one-time transfer allowance of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 21 lakh for pilots moving to Air India Express. Training pay is now linked to fleet-average flying hours, and relocation support covers temporary stay, household goods and relocation leave. Annual privilege leave falls from 30 to 24 days.1234

How do pilots progress to command?

Air India Express is now the main route to a first command in the group; after that, pilots can move to Air India for widebody flying, and both airlines share one seniority framework. After a command upgrade a pilot may be posted to any base for two years, extendable by six months. Business Today notes that trainee first officers usually need around six months of training before line flying and at least 1,500 hours in the right seat before a captain upgrade. The group has more than 5,000 pilots and runs an academy in Gurugram and a flying school in Amravati.24

What role have the unions played?

In April 2023 two unions, the Indian Pilots Guild and the Indian Commercial Pilots Association, rejected the new pay structure, while Air India said it had no recognised union. On 28 April chief executive Campbell Wilson said a majority of pilots had accepted the package, back-dated to 1 April 2023, and the signing deadline of 30 April was later extended. In April 2024 the Indian Pilots Guild wrote to the Tata chairman about workload and rosters across the group. In August 2026 Air India said an overwhelming majority of pilots had accepted the revised package.4679

What did the Vistara merger change?

Vistara pilots objected in 2024 that their guaranteed pay would move from 70 to 40 flying hours to match Air India. An anonymous pilot told CNBC this meant a fall from about $7,400 for 70 hours to $5,200 for a strict 40 hours. Under India's revised duty rules, weekly rest rose from 36 to 48 hours and flying that continues into the night is capped at 10 hours.91011