Pilot salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a pilot is $137,900 per annum, before tax, up $28,500 since 2018.
Pay scales with rank and the aircraft you fly, so a first officer on a regional turboprop earns less than a captain on a wide-body jet. Airline enterprise agreements set most rates and add allowances for night sectors, layovers and time away from base. Charter, aeromedical and mustering operators set their own rates, and low-hour pilots often earn less again while building the hours that airline recruiters look for.
Roles that pay more than pilot
The largest typical pay rise is $46,300 a year, moving into Defence Force Officer.
- Defence Force Officer+$46,300/yr
How to negotiate a higher pilot salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time pilot salary is $137,900; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Pilots are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Operations management and Risk and internal controls tend to command a premium over general pilot experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Defence Force Officer pays a typical $46,300 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Pilot salary questions
How much do pilots earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a pilot is $137,900 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is pilot pay rising or falling?
The median pilot salary is up $28,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than pilot?
Defence Force Officer pays a typical $46,300 a year more and draws on similar skills to pilot.