Salary of a Pilot in India - Career As a Pilot in India

Salary of a Pilot in India: The job of an airline Pilot is a lucrative one as it offers handsome salary packages and perks. Pilots are the backbone of the aviation industry and besides flying passengers, they are also responsible for a host of functions like moving automobiles, industrial equipment, and commercial goods.

 However, the job of the Pilot is not only restricted to flying but also making pre-flight inspections, cockpit management, checking safety issues, and air traffic situations. The salary of Pilot in India depends on the type of aircraft he/she is flying, the total number of flying hours, night flying hours, etc.

Average Salary of a Pilot in India:

The average salary of a Pilot in India is between INR 2,00,000 to INR 8,00,000 per month. The salary of a Commercial Pilot depends on the hiring company and also the total number of flying hours of the Pilot.

The salary is much higher than the national average salary of Indians. In the salary bracket, junior officers get lower salaries as compared to the more experienced airline captains who are entitled to the highest salary in Aviation.

The average salary of a Pilot in India depends on qualification, flying experience, types of aircraft flown, and the total number of flying hours. Salaries of experienced Pilots are much more than freshers. There is a huge difference between the Pilots at the entry-level that of highly experienced pilots.

Other than the take-home salary, Pilots are entitled to several benefits and perks like 5-star accommodation, travel discounts for families, etc.

Given below is an account of the salary of the different categories of Pilots in India:

Salary of Pilots Based on Experience:

➜ Entry/Fresher Level Pilot: Pilots with less than 1-year of experience are paid an average of 1.5 lakh per month. However with the increase in the number of flying hours and skills they can get a salary of 5 lakh to 6 lakhs per month.

The salary of a Commercial Pilot is more as compared to Transport Pilot or Helicopter Pilot. A Commercial Pilot with less than 1-year of experience can get a salary of 15 Lakhs per annum while those with1 to 4 years of experience can get more than 16 lakh per annum.

Besides salary, the Pilots also get several benefits and allowances.

➜ Mid-Level Pilot: The salary of a Pilot in India belonging to the mid-level is around 2 lakh to 3 lakh per month. The average salary of a mid-level Pilot is 25 lakhs per annum. The salary varies with the flying experience and Commercial Pilots with 10 to 15 years of experience can get a salary of 3 lakh to 7 lakh per month.

Pilots in India with 20 years of experience can get an exorbitant salary of 90 Lakhs per annum.

➜ Experienced Level Pilot: Pilots in India with more than 10 years of experience can get a lucrative salary package. The average salary of an experienced Pilot is 16 Lakhs per annum.

In India, the salaries of experienced Pilots can reach up to 3 lakh to 7 Lakh per annum. Commercial Pilots with more than 20 years of experience can get a salary of 70 lakh to 90 Lakh per annum.

Pilot Profile	Fresher Level Salary (Per Annum)	Mid-Level Salary (Per Annum)	Experienced Level Salary (Per Annum)
Commercial Pilot	INR 1,77,539	INR 23,63,000	INR 1,00, 45,000
MIlitary Pilot	INR 7,00,000	INR 10,00,000	INR 20,00,000
Private Pilot	INR 2,00,000	INR 5,00,000 to INR 8,00,000	INR 10,00,000 to INR 20,00,000

Thus an Entry-level Pilot with less than 3 years of experience will get an average salary of INR 11,25,000 per annum. A Pilot in India with 4 to 9 hours of flying experience will get an average salary of INR 40,00,000 per annum. Pilots with more than 10 years of experience can expect a salary of INR 60,00,000 per annum while Pilots who have more than 20 years of flying experience will get an average salary of INR 75,00,000.

Salary of Pilot in India Based on Job Roles:

The salary of Pilots in India is also dependent on the industry hiring them. A Pilot in India can become a Commercial Pilot, Military Pilot or Private Pilot. A commercial Pilot can be further subdivided into Passenger Pilot, Cargo Pilot, or Sports Pilot.

A Military Pilot can belong to any of the categories like Army Pilot, Navy Pilot, or Airforce Pilot. A Military Pilot transports Military equipment or Military personnel and can be employed as a Test pilot.

 A Private Pilot can be hired by Corporates or for Personal requirements and can fly either personal jets or helicopters. Private Pilots can be recruited by businessmen or Celebrities.

Job Role	Entry-Level	Mid-Level	Experienced Level
Commercial Pilot	INR 1. 5 Lakhs per month	INR 2 Lakhs to INR 5 Lakhs per month	INR 7 Lakhs to INR 10 Lakhs per month
Military Pilot	INR 64,000 per month	INR 1.50 Lakhs per month	INR 2 Lakhs per month
Private Pilot	INR 1.5 Lakh to INR 2 Lakh per month	INR 5 Lakhs to INR 7 Lakhs per month	INR 10 Lakhs to INR 20 Lakhs per month

Salary of Pilot in India Based on Type of Aircraft:

The Pilot’s salary in India depends on the type of aircraft that they are flying and also on the rank of the Pilot. Senior Pilots with more flying hours will get more salaries than their counterparts.

Pilots having the same rank may not have the same salary structure and those with more experience will have higher salaries.

A Pilot’s salary will also vary with the type of aircraft that they are flying. The salary will depend on whether the Pilot is flying a narrow-bodied aircraft like Boeing 707 or Airbus A 320 or a wide-bodied aircraft like Boeing 777 or Boeing 767.

Type of Aircraft	Captain Salary (Per Month)	First Officer (Per Month)	Second Officer (Per Month)
Airbus A 300/310/320	INR 3 Lakh to INR 6 lakh per month	INR 2,25 Lakh to INR 3 Lakh per month	INR 90,000 to INR 1.5 lakh per month
Airbus A 340	INR 4 Lakh to INR 6.5 Lakh per month	INR 2.5 Lakh to INR 3.5 Lakh per month	INR 1 Lakh to INR 1.8 Lakh per month
Boeing 737	INR 4 Lakh to INR 6.5 Lakh per month	INR 2.25 Lakh to INR 3.25 Lakh per month	INR 1 Lakh to INR 2 Lakh per month
Domestic/Cargo	INR 3 Lakh to INR 6 Lakh per month	INR 1.75 Lakh to INR 4 Lakh per month	INR 80,000 to INR 2 Lakh per month
Private Aircraft	INR 1 Lakh to INR 1.5 Lakh per month	-	-
Courier flight	-	INR 90,000 to INR 1.5 Lakh per month	-

Salary of Pilot in India Based on Rank:

The rank of a Pilot in India depends on experience and the total number of flying hours. The post includes Captain, First officer, Second officer, and Junior First Officer.

Among these, an Airline Captain gets the highest salary package while junior Officers are paid the lowest salaries. An entry-level Pilot with less than 3 years of experience gets an average salary of INR 11, 25,000 per annum.

Rank of the Pilot	Particulars	Salary
Junior First Officer	Valid Commercial License	INR 1,20,000 to INR 1,60,000 per month
	200 hours of flying
	Valid Class 1 Medical Certificate
	Training duration 6 to 8 months
First Officer	Flies the aircraft from the right-hand seat	INR 2,60,000 to INR 3,30,000
	Total 70 hours of the monthly flying
	Entitled to overtime and layover allowances
Senior First Officer	1000 hours of flying experience	INR 4,80,000 to INR 5,60,000
	Clear ATPL exam
	70 hours of the monthly flying
Captain	Commander of the Aircraft	INR 8,50,000 per month
	3000 hours of flying
	Clear ATPL exam

Eligibility Criteria of Pilots in India:

The eligibility criteria for becoming a Pilot in India are based on factors like age limit, educational qualifications, medical fitness, and body requirements for becoming a Pilot.

Age Limit for Pilot in India:

The minimum age limit must be 17 years. The age limit of a fresher Pilot must not exceed 36 years. For ex-Airforce candidates, the age limit can extend up to 50 years. There is no specific age limit for Commercial Pilots.

Educational Qualification to Become a Pilot:

• Candidates must clear the Class 12th exams from a recognized Board with Physics and Mathematics as the compulsory subjects.
• Candidates must qualify for the National level Entrance exam conducted by the Director-General of Civil Aviation. A Commercial Pilot’s License is a must for the candidates.
• Candidates must have the mandatory hours of ground training. Pilot Certification requires a minimum of 250 hours of ground training.
• Airline Pilot transformation Certificate and Instrument rating Certificate are necessary.

Physical Requirements to Become a Pilot in India:

• Height of male Pilot- 162.5 cm
• The vision of male Pilot- Visual acuity 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in another eye correctable to 6/6 in Hypermetropia.
• Height of female Pilot- 162.5 cm
• The vision of female Pilot- Visual acuity 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in another eye correctable to 6/6 in Hypermetropia.

Skills Required to Become a Pilot:

• Decision-making skills
• Listening skills
• Patience
• Maintaining composure in times of stress
• Listening skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Communication skills
• Planning skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Teamwork
• Professionalism
• Adaptability
• Leadership skills
• Good IQ level

Top Companies Hiring Pilots in India:

There are several renowned companies that hire Pilots in India with excellent salary packages and allowance benefits.

• Indigo
• Spicejet
• Air India
• Air Asia
• Department of Civil Aviation
• Indian Navy
• Reliance Industries
• Persistent systems
• Indian Armed Forces
• Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Pvt Limited
• Vistara
• Go Air

List of Aviation Colleges/Academies in India:

• Indian Institute of Aeronautics, New Delhi
• Institute of Aviation and Aviation Safety, Mumbai
• Hindustan Aviation Academy, Bangalore
• Orient Flight School, Chennai
• Ahmedabad Aviation and Aeronautics, Ahmedabad
• Wings College of Aviation and Technology, Pune
• Rajiv Gandhi National Flight Training Institute
• Indian Institute of Aeronautics Engineering and Information, Pune
• Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy, Raebareli

Job Responsibilities of Pilots:

• Completing the required number of training hours and attending aviation conferences.
• Conduct Pre-flight and post-flight inspections of aircraft, fuel, and navigation systems.
• Communication with Air traffic control, monitoring the weather conditions and nautical routes.
• Maintaining in-flight safety, analyzing the safest routes and flight plans before take off.
• Updating passengers on the weather conditions and also during emergency situations.
• Having knowledge about the aircraft equipment and safety mechanism.
• Maintaining a good rapport with co- Pilot and flight crew.
• Displaying professionalism while flying the aircraft.

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Pilot:

Pros

• The Salary of pilots in India is very high
• Have a good social reputation
• Entitled to discounted air tickets for the family
• Travel around India for free
• Accommodation in the best hotels
• Maintain a good quality of life

Cons

• The cost of becoming a Pilot is very high
• Odd working hours and schedules
• Unpredictable layovers
• Unable to attend holidays or festivals due to erratic routine
• Long-distance flights are exhausting
• Suffer from sleep issues due to nighttime traveling