What does Turkish Airlines publish about pilot pay?

Turkish Airlines does not state pay figures for captains or first officers on its cockpit crew careers page; it describes four entry routes: captain, first officer, the Take-Off Cadet programme and synthetic flight instructor. Pay rises for staff are set in the collective agreement with the Hava-İş union, which the airline discloses to the stock exchange. In 2018, the then chief executive Bilal Ekşi said a new pilot started on a salary of 12 thousand lira and could rise to 50 thousand lira, without saying whether that was per month or per year, or gross or net. A month later, deputy general manager Abdulkerim Çay said pilots started on around 25 thousand lira, according to Anadolu Agency, again without a pay period. Both are statements from that year, not a current pay scale.121213

How have pay rises been agreed with the union?

The 29th collective agreement between Turkish Airlines and Hava-İş runs from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027 and gives a 14% rise for the first half of 2026, followed in each later half year by the change in consumer prices plus 3% of that change. The 28th agreement, signed in March 2024, gave 64% for the first half of 2024 and then the change in consumer prices plus 10% of that change. For the second half of 2023, chairman Ahmet Bolat said staff received a direct rise of 41% instead of 21% plus two extra monthly bonuses. During the pandemic, Turkish Airlines pilots took a 50% pay cut under a deal struck with Hava-İş on 31 August 2020, which avoided layoffs. From 1 October 2021, the airline raised the duty and flight allowance (iş/uçuş tazminatı) of cockpit crew by 25%.23456

What is changing in 2027?

In September 2026, Ekonomim reported that Turkish Airlines planned to change how cockpit and cabin crew pay is calculated from January 2027, citing sources close to the company; the details had not been confirmed by the company. According to that report, the 55 flight hour reference used to calculate pay would rise to 70 hours, with pay for 40 hours guaranteed to anyone flying fewer than 40 hours in a month, 1.5 times pay above 70 hours and 2 times above 80 hours. Calculations by staff suggested some groups could lose 10 to 20% of their income. Evrensel reported that the plan, called Hedef 12, was sent to staff on 22 September 2026 with a deadline of 29 September, and is due to apply from 1 January 2027. The company said more than 99% of staff accepted the new terms, while the newspaper reported that some who did not sign were dismissed. Hava-İş said no agreement was reached and that it cannot strike while the collective agreement runs to 31 December 2027, but that it will take legal action.78

Are cadets paid during training?

Take-Off Cadet trainees train for 2 years and, according to the January 2025 announcement, receive a salary of two gross minimum wages (the announcement gives no pay period) plus accommodation, rent support, a meal card, insurance and discounted tickets. The careers FAQ states that the minimum contract period is one year, and that anyone who leaves before then has to pay for the training received. In 2020, the HAVA-SEN union said more than 1000 second officers had training debts calculated in euros, to be repaid through a deduction of 25% of salary from 2021.1911

What applies to foreign pilots?

Under Turkish work permit criteria, the pay of a foreign pilot may not be lower than 5 times the gross minimum wage in force on the date of the application. Turkish Airlines has an Expat Relations Department for expatriate pilots, and a work permit takes about 4 weeks. In 2020, the HAVA-SEN union said around 500 foreign pilots worked at Turkish Airlines.11011

What does the roster look like?

Pilot duty schedules are published on the 24th of the month in months with 31 days and on the 23rd in months with 30 days. A commuting roster of 3 weeks on and 1 week off is offered to first officers and captains, with confirmed tickets only for captains, and pilots retire at 65.1

What about AJet?

AJet was recruiting captains and experienced first officers for the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 in August 2025, without stating pay.14