Pilot salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a pilot is $137,900 per annum, before tax, up $28,500 since 2018.
- Airline pay comes from enterprise agreements, and the rate steps up with years of service and the size of the aircraft you fly, so a wide-body captain and a turboprop first officer are on very different numbers.
- Charter, freight and aeromedical operators have their own scales, and night flying, remote bases and time away from home often attract allowances on top of the base rate.
- When you compare two offers, ask what the base figure covers and whether those allowances are included, because a roster with more flying hours can beat a higher headline salary.
The median salary rose by $28,500 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
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.
Related salaries
- Flying Instructor salary
- Helicopter Pilot salary
- Defence Force Officer salary
- Airport Ground Crew salary
- Railway Signaller salary
- Train Controller salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.