What does Lufthansa pay its pilots?

The clearest figures are those the company has given to the German press. In July 2023 Lufthansa said that a first officer at the Lufthansa mainline started on EUR 69,000 a year, and that a captain at the highest seniority step could earn up to EUR 275,000 a year. Profit sharing comes on top when the airline is profitable, and in 2019 it took one pilot's pay to EUR 287,000. In October 2022, outside crisis pay scales, new Lufthansa pilots received a basic salary of at least EUR 80,000 a year plus a mandatory shift allowance, and the highest pay grade was worth almost EUR 300,000. Further allowances, time-away pay and pay for extra flying come on top.12

How has pay changed since 2023?

The pay deal agreed with the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit in August 2023 raises the pay tables by 7 per cent on 1 December 2023, 5 per cent on 1 January 2025 and 5 per cent on 1 January 2026, more than 18 per cent including the compounding effect, according to Lufthansa. It also included a one-off payment of 3.75 per cent of fixed annual pay, capped at EUR 3,000 in 2023. The deal covers about 5,200 pilots at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo. Including two flat-rate increases from the previous year, Lufthansa's internal figures put the total rise at 25 to 50 per cent over four and a half years, depending on grade. The deal also abolished a second, cheaper pay scale that had been introduced years earlier for new joiners.34

What else is in the package?

Extra flying above the normal roster pays up to 180 per cent of the hourly rate. The 2023 agreement also promised improved variable pay linked to company results and ten fixed days off per month. Until 2017 Lufthansa pilots had a classic company pension with guaranteed payouts; since then Lufthansa guarantees only the employer contributions, so the interest-rate risk sits with the pilots. In 2026 the pension was the main point in the dispute with the union.2356

Where do the pay talks stand in 2026?

The 2023 pay agreement runs until at least 31 December 2026. After pension talks failed, the union started a strike ballot in September 2025 covering about 4,800 employees. By August 2026 it had called pilots out on strike on seven days that year, demanding higher employer pension contributions for almost 5000 pilots. In August 2026 Lufthansa and the union agreed on arbitration with parallel mediation, covering the pension and a new pay agreement for Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo. In the timetable reported by aero.de in August 2026, 15 October 2026 was the latest date for an arbitration award, with a decision on acceptance by 31 October 2026. Lufthansa board member Michael Niggemann said there was no fixed deadline. During the process Lufthansa said it would keep the number of aircraft at Lufthansa Classic and Lufthansa Cargo stable, and the union agreed to a peace obligation.3567

Do all Lufthansa Group pilots earn the same?

No. The group set up City Airlines and Discover with the stated aim of flying on cheaper collective terms than at the Lufthansa mainline, partly under agreements with the services union Verdi rather than the pilots' union. Handelsblatt reported in 2023 that pilot pay at Eurowings and City Airlines is clearly lower. In October 2022 the pilots' union put pilot pay at the low-cost subsidiary Eurowings at between EUR 59,000 and EUR 171,000 a year, without a shift allowance. The regional airline Lufthansa CityLine, with around 1300 employees, was shut down overnight in April 2026, and some of its routes moved to Lufthansa City Airlines.1256

What does Lufthansa Group pilot training cost?

The European Flight Academy, run by Lufthansa Aviation Training, lists basic costs of EUR 130,000 for the ATPL course in Germany, paid in 6 instalments. With its partner Brain Capital, a trainee can start with EUR 10,000 of their own money, and the remaining EUR 120,000 is funded. Repayments only start once gross annual income reaches EUR 30,000, and run for 11 years as a fixed share of gross income, at most 12 per cent. For graduates who take a cockpit job in the Lufthansa Group, the repayment is capped at the equivalent of an 8.0 per cent interest rate on a standard student loan. If a graduate receives no offer of a cockpit job in the group within 24 months of finishing, the academy refunds 50 per cent of the training costs. Applicants need EU, Swiss or EFTA citizenship.8910