How much do Wizz Air pilots earn by rank?

Wizz Air uses three ranks in its pay information: first officer (FO), senior first officer (SFO) and captain (CPT). In November 2023 its recruitment site published an average gross salary per month for each rank and country. For a Hungary base, the figures were EUR 3,967 for a first officer, EUR 5,809 for a senior first officer and EUR 11,700 for a captain. Across the bases paid in euros, first officers averaged between EUR 3,465 (Albania) and EUR 4,555 (North Macedonia), senior first officers between EUR 5,419 (Bulgaria) and EUR 7,078 (North Macedonia), and captains between EUR 10,023 (Georgia) and EUR 14,633 (North Macedonia). Wizz Air stated that these figures are not a guaranteed salary but the achievable average pay for the position, built from the base salary levels most often applied plus the variable pay that existing crew in similar roles typically earn.1

Does pay differ by base and airline?

Yes. Wizz Air recruits pilots into three airlines with their own air operator certificates: Wizz Air Hungary, Wizz Air Malta and Wizz Air UK, and the airline you choose determines the bases and roster patterns on offer. In the November 2023 table, Wizz Air Malta listed Italy at EUR 4,145, EUR 6,136 and EUR 12,113 for FO, SFO and captain, Romania at EUR 3,911, EUR 6,275 and EUR 13,406, and Austria at EUR 3,847, EUR 6,596 and EUR 12,307. Wizz Air Hungary listed Poland at EUR 3,708, EUR 6,090 and EUR 12,986, and Cyprus at EUR 4,180, EUR 6,771 and EUR 14,062. For Wizz Air UK, the version shown from 16 November 2023 gave GBP 4,888, GBP 7,188 and GBP 12,458 a month, marked OTE +15% and based on around 750 flying hours a year on a fixed roster. An earlier version of the same page, archived on 9 November 2023, showed lower averages of GBP 4,077, GBP 6,152 and GBP 10,664. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi was listed at AED 18,520, AED 24,323 and AED 45,932. In a LinkedIn post from November 2023, Wizz Air said captains in Austria can earn EUR 12,300 and first officers in Italy EUR 4,500 as a gross average monthly salary at Wizz Air Malta.1234

What bonuses and allowances are offered?

In October 2026 Wizz Air advertises retention bonuses of up to EUR 25,000 for first officers and senior first officers and up to EUR 40,000 for captains after three years, plus sign-on bonuses of up to EUR 5,000 for FO and SFO and EUR 10,000 for captains, at selected bases. A cadet-level vacancy from September 2023 described a loyalty and sign-on bonus (after three consecutive years or more): EUR 5,000 sign-on and EUR 25,000 loyalty for FO and SFO, and EUR 10,000 and EUR 40,000 for captains. That year the loyalty bonus applied in Craiova, Suceava, Iasi, Skopje and Kutaisi, and the list of bases is reviewed every year. On the floating 20 days on, 10 days off roster, hotel and accommodation are included during the 20 days on and a daily allowance is paid for the whole duty period, according to company policy. Wizz Air's 2025 annual report says the wider workforce received average pay rises of 3 to 12 per cent in the 2024 financial year, depending on region and role, and 0 to 10 per cent in the 2025 financial year.456

Who pays for the type rating?

For cadets on the Wizz Air Pilot Academy, the advanced training (APS MCC and the A320 type rating) has a total cost of EUR 40,000. A pilot who stays for 5 years repays a bond of EUR 25,000 through salary deductions of EUR 415 a month. Wizz Air describes this as its general bonding practice: it sponsors the training fees and certain other costs, provided the trainee completes the training and does not leave Wizz Air for 5 years. If a cadet leaves during the loyalty period, the remaining fee must be repaid. The ab-initio course itself costs EUR 61,460, of which EUR 13,950 is paid before enrolment. The rest is repaid only after release as a first officer, at EUR 520 a month in months 1 to 30, EUR 897 in months 31 to 60 and EUR 1000 in months 61 to 65, with the last five instalments, EUR 5,000 in total, waived after 5 years. The academy is open to nationals of Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Serbia. A separate Pathway Program with URBE requires applicants to be free to live and work without restriction in the EU or in a country where Wizz Air Hungary or Wizz Air Malta has a base.8910

What is the roster like?

Roster patterns depend on the airline and base: Wizz Air Malta offers 5/4, 14 on and 7 off, flexible, reverse and 15 on and 15 off patterns, while Wizz Air Hungary adds a floating 20 on and 10 off roster and limits 15 on and 15 off to captains. At Wizz Air UK, 5/4 and 14/14 can only be requested once released from training. The commuter roster of 14 days on and 7 off includes free commuting on the Wizz Air network twice a month, and the reverse 6/4 pattern gives two extra nights at home. For Wizz Air UK, the airline said pilots should normally expect to fly 700 to 850 hours a year, although hours are not guaranteed.14

What kind of contract do Wizz Air pilots get?

Wizz Air's vacancies promise pilots an indefinite and secure contract alongside fixed and flexible rosters. Its 2025 annual report also shows separate costs for rented pilots of EUR 12.6 million in the 2025 financial year, against EUR 18.0 million a year earlier. The European Cockpit Association wrote in its Social Rating 2.0 that Wizz Air has no collective labour agreement and that, outside its Eastern European bases, it relies heavily on contractor pilots, mostly self-employed via an agency in the Netherlands. A recording that purportedly captured an April 2020 meeting, reported by Reuters in 2021, had a manager describing pilots supplied by a Dutch outsourcing firm as easy to let go, with only 24 days of leave; Reuters could not establish who was speaking, and a Wizz Air spokesman said language had been used on the call that did not reflect the process or the company's values, which was a matter of regret.561112

How has Wizz Air dealt with unions and pay cuts?

The European Cockpit Association ranked Wizz Air 44th with a score of 35% in its Social Rating 2.0, a survey of pilots, placing it in the Social Misfit category, the second lowest of five, describing a longstanding anti-union reputation and saying chief executive József Váradi admitted the airline keeps unions out on purpose. In April 2020 Wizz Air announced 1,000 job cuts, about one fifth of its workforce, and cut the pay of pilots, cabin crew and administrative staff by an average of 14 per cent. Senior executives took a 22% cut. Wizz Air restored pilot salaries to pre-pandemic levels from 1 October 2021, which its 2025 annual report confirms. In June 2022 Váradi told staff that the business could not run when every fifth person at a base reported sick because of fatigue; the European Cockpit Association compared encouraging pilots to fly fatigued to handing car keys to a drunk driver, while Wizz Air said the clip had been edited and that safety remained its first priority. In Romania, a court ruled on 19 March 2015 that the dismissal of the leader of a cabin crew union at the Bucharest base was illegal.6111314151617

What happened at Abu Dhabi and Vienna?

On 14 July 2025 Wizz Air announced that Wizz Air Abu Dhabi would cease operations from 1 September 2025 and be wound down; its June 2026 results say the Abu Dhabi base closed during the second quarter of the 2026 financial year. The same results say Wizz Air wound down base operations in Vienna and opened lower-cost bases such as Bratislava, Podgorica, Tuzla and Yerevan. The Abu Dhabi exit put up to 450 jobs in doubt; Váradi offered staff roles across the European network but said it was unlikely that everyone would secure one. According to Travel Extra in October 2025, between 150 and 200 pilots, cabin crew and office staff had been transferred to Hungary, Poland and Romania, and the remaining staff were to receive three months' salary up to EUR 15,000. Etihad's chief executive said the airline was open to hiring them and would hire about 350 pilots a year over the next five years. In September 2025 Aviacionline reported that Wizz Air would close Vienna in two phases, withdrawing two aircraft on 26 October 2025 and the last three on 15 March 2026, affecting 254 employees including flight crew, who were offered relocation to other bases.718192021

How does this compare with Ryanair?

Ryanair's careers site says captains can earn up to GBP 155,500 or EUR 165,000 a year in year 1, with guaranteed minimum hours for contractors and a 5 on 4 off roster. Wizz Air's November 2023 figures are monthly averages by country rather than first-year annual pay, so the two are not directly comparable.122