The National Careers Service states in October 2026 that an airline pilot earns an average salary of £47,000 a year as a starter and £150,000 a year when experienced. Pilot salaries can vary widely, depending on the size of the airline, your rank, how long you have flown for, and company bonus schemes and allowances. British Airways states that salary generally increases with experience.18

Emirates lists an annual take home cash of AED 385,000 (annualised basic salary and flying pay of USD 105,000) for a first officer in October 2026. For a direct entry captain, Emirates lists an annual take home cash of AED 575,000 (annualised basic salary and flying pay of USD 155,000) in October 2026. Ryanair states in October 2026 that a direct entry captain has an earnings potential of up to £155,500/€165,000 per annum in year 1. BA Cityflyer, a BA Group airline, lists a starting salary (basic pay and non pensionable pay) of £70,347 plus circa £11,700 in allowances for a first officer in October 2026. For a captain, the BA Cityflyer salary after the command course is £110,934 plus allowances circa £16,300 in October 2026.2345

In October 2026, Emirates lists an annual take home cash of AED 385,000 for a first officer, while a direct entry captain receives an annual take home cash of AED 575,000. In October 2026, BA Cityflyer lists a starting salary of £70,347 for a first officer, whereas the salary after the command course for a captain is £110,934.235

Emirates lists an annualised basic salary and flying pay. BA Cityflyer lists basic pay, non pensionable pay, allowances, and for a captain after the command course, annual incremental pay uplifts on a 15 point pay scale. British Airways states that salary may include a portion of flight pay for each hour or flight worked, and an overnight expense allowance. British Airways also states that most airlines have a discounted flight scheme, a substantial pension and other benefits. United Airlines states that profit sharing percentages range from 5 % to 20 % depending on the work group, and in some cases profit sharing percentages vary above and below certain pre-tax margin thresholds.235811

According to a pilot, working as a pilot in Canada in 2023 is hardest in the first 500 flight hours because of strong competition. After this initial period there are many jobs available, although most pay less than in the United States (reported in 2023). According to one pilot in 2023, an A320 captain at Brussels Airlines with 12 years of seniority earned between 5,000 and 5,500 euros net per month. According to one pilot, in the wet-lease sector you work, for example, 20 days on and 10 off, which means you are often only really at home for about 8 days (reported in 2024). According to a pilot in 2024, the starting salary for a first officer at a Portuguese ACMI/wet-lease airline was around 4,500 euros gross per month, with a maximum of 8,500 euros gross per month. This concerned pilots who were not directly employed (reported in 2024). This period is often bridged with poorly paid, insecure work, such as dropping parachutists or sightseeing flights, to build relevant hours, for example multi-engine (reported in 2025).1720212335