What does Hong Kong Airlines publish about pay?

Its pilot job listings give no salary figures. The January 2025 listing for a Hong Kong-based Second Officer offers a competitive remuneration package, 21 days of annual leave including statutory holidays, medical insurance, loss of licence insurance, standby and courtesy allowances and the Mandatory Provident Fund scheme. For type-rated captains and first officers recruited at its March 2025 roadshow in Bangkok, the airline listed 35 days of leave per year, loss of licence insurance, life and personal accident insurance, a relocation allowance, a child education allowance and other allowances.12

What experience is required?

Direct entry Second Officers need a Hong Kong CPL issued under an HKCAD approved integrated course and a valid instrument rating. Type-rated A320 and A330 first officers need an ICAO ATPL or frozen ATPL, 1,000 hours on aircraft above 10,000kg and 200 hours on type, according to a listing first advertised in December 2022 with a closing date of 30 April 2024. A320 captains need at least 5,000 hours on aircraft above 40,000kg, including 500 hours in command on the A320.134

Have there been pay problems?

In November 2019 the airline delayed November salaries for all staff except cabin crew and overseas employees until 6 December, according to an AFP report republished by Hong Kong Free Press. In December 2020 it announced 250 cabin crew redundancies, Hong Kong Free Press reported, adding that about 400 staff had been laid off in February according to Hong Kong Economic Times. The airline had received HK$154 million in government employment subsidies in exchange for promising not to dismiss close to 3,000 employees during the subsidised period.56

How has Hong Kong Airlines pilot pay changed since 2021?

In June 2021 the airline introduced a new pilot contract that cut basic pay by a fifth and removed a guarantee on the number of paid hours per month, while extending unpaid leave, the South China Morning Post reported. Of its 2,100 employees, 60 per cent either lost their job or took a steep pay cut at that time. In January 2023 Hong Kong Airlines said it was raising basic pay by 8% and lifting flying hourly rates for crew by up to 10%, and planned to hire 1,000 new employees that year, including 120 pilots, Bloomberg reported. From 1 February 2024 eligible staff, including flight crew, received a 3.8% rise in basic pay on average, and pilots up to a 5% increase in their flying hourly rate, based on 2023 performance appraisals. Staff also remain eligible for a discretionary variable incentive, subject to company and individual performance.789

Is Hong Kong Airlines hiring pilots?

In June 2024 the airline said it expected to recruit over 10% more pilots and 40% more cabin crew within the year as it expanded its fleet and network. In November 2024 The Standard reported that it had 1,200 crew members and planned to hire 60 percent more pilots, with the fleet growing to 30 aircraft by the end of that year.1011

Is there a cadet route into Hong Kong Airlines?

Hong Kong Airlines is one of three partner airlines, with HK Express and Greater Bay Airlines, in the cadet pilot programme of the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy, The Standard reported in September 2023. The 14-month programme was priced at HK$800,000 per student, payable in instalments, and combines six months of theory in Hong Kong, eight months at IASCO Flight Training in the United States and a two-week multi-crew cooperation course. Preliminary job interviews with the partner airlines are held towards the end of the theory course, and graduates are eligible for a Hong Kong Commercial Pilot License with Instrument Rating.12