What is happening with pilot pay at Korean Air?

The Korean Air Pilots Union (KAPU) declared talks on the 2024 collective agreement and the 2025 wage agreement broken down on 20 March 2026, after 12 rounds of negotiation since late October. The union was seeking a 3.3% pay rise, while the company offered 2.7%. When it filed for mediation in September 2026, the union also asked for 30 hours of rest at the destination after flights of 10 hours or more on all routes, and for flight pay to be counted from report time. As at 7 October 2026, Yonhap reported that the union had withdrawn the request on the advice of the regional labour commission, and that both sides planned to keep negotiating until 27 October, a deadline that can be extended by mutual agreement, leaving seniority aside. Newstomato reported in February 2026 that the union was asking for basic pay and flight pay to rise by 3.4% each for 2025, and that a key point was whether flight pay should count towards performance bonuses. In September 2026 The Korea Herald, citing industry sources, said the two sides had reached broad agreement on wages and rest time, with the seniority list as the remaining dispute. Korean Air says its seniority proposal is neutral, was drawn up with outside consultants, and falls under management's personnel authority rather than mediation.123789

Why does seniority matter for captain pay?

According to the union, the date a pilot is appointed captain sets the starting point for the base pay system and for senior captain and chief captain allowances, and the gap carries through to retirement. This is why the seniority list after the merger with Asiana Airlines became the main dispute; Korean Air says the existing promotion requirements and the internal order of its own pilots will be kept. The merged airline is due to launch on 17 December, according to The Asia Business Daily, which notes that seniority shapes captain promotion order, aircraft type assignment and pay and allowances by rank. Korean Air says more than 90% of its pilots will be promoted to captain earlier than they would have been without the merger, and that Asiana pilots will face the same captain promotion requirements.2810

What do past figures say about Korean Air pilot pay?

In January 2016 a Korean Air spokesperson told CNN that a Korean Air pilot's annual salary was about $116,000, excluding welfare benefits, at a time when the unions were seeking a 37% rise against a 1.9% offer. In December 2016 The Korea Times reported that most Chinese airlines were offering experienced Korean pilots about 250 to 350 million won a year. Settled rises since then have been modest. Pilots approved a deal in January 2018 raising basic pay by 1.9% for 2015 and 3.2% for 2016. In June 2022 Korean Air agreed a 10% rise in total pay for that year with both unions, after cockpit crew pay was frozen for 2020 and 2021. Basic pay and flight pay then rose by 3.5% each in 2023 and 3% each in 2024, according to Newstomato.711121314

How long does it take to become a captain?

A Yonhap report from the Korean Air training centre in April 2026 said new pilots become first officers after about one year, including simulator training, and need about 10 years of training and assessment before they can become captains. Yonhap reported in May 2026 that 622 of the 896 skilled Air Force pilots who left between 2017 and March 2026 joined Korean Air, and a 2025 Air Force survey cited the pay gap with commercial flying as one reason.46

Can foreign captains join Korean Air?

Korean Air hires foreign pilots partly through the recruitment agency CCL Aviation, which says it manages the contracts of close to 50% of the airline's expat pilots. CCL's 2026 vacancies for B787, B777 and A330 captains ask for at least 1000 hours as pilot in command on type, 5000 hours on airline jet transport, 7000 hours in total, ICAO English at level 5 or above and an age under 60 when joining, on renewable five-year contracts. The contract is built around commuting: CCL lists 11 consecutive days off at home each month (9 days off plus 2 annual leave days), 24 days of annual leave and monthly per diems and overtime payments, without amounts. As at 7 September 2026, CCL said recruitment was paused until the transport ministry MOLIT resumed issuing work permits.16171819

Have Korean Air pilots gone on strike?

In April 2026 about 80% of voting members backed industrial action, equal to 57.6% of all members. The mediation request filed on 7 September 2026 was the first since December 2015; after the 2015 wage talks, pilots went on a seven-day strike in December 2016. Because aviation counts as an essential public service, a minimum level of flights agreed with the union would continue during any action.25

How do recent pay rises at other Korean airlines compare?

Asiana Airlines pilots received a 7.5% rise in basic pay and flight pay for 2023, approved by 81.1% of those voting in May 2024. For 2025, Asiana settled on 3.7% for basic pay and flight pay in October 2025, and Jin Air agreed a 3% rise in total pay with its pilots union, according to Newstomato.715