Korean Air Pilot Salary 2026
Estimated First Officer and Captain pay. Page updated .
How much does a Korean Air pilot make in 2026?
Our estimate for Korean Air pilot pay in 2026: a First Officer earns about ₩65,000,000 a year at the start and ₩100,000,000 by year 10. Captains earn roughly ₩130,000,000 to ₩200,000,000. These figures have not yet been checked against Korean Air's current pilot contract; treat them as a range.
- First Officer, year 1
- $65M/yr
- First Officer, top
- $100M/yr
- Captain, year 1
- $130M/yr
- Captain, top
- $200M/yr
Korean Air pilot pay scale 2026
| Seat | Year 1 | Year 5 | Year 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Officer | ₩65,000,000 | ₩85,000,000 | ₩100,000,000 |
| Captain | ₩130,000,000 | ₩165,000,000 | ₩200,000,000 |
Where these numbers come from
The pay scale above is an estimate. We have not been able to check it line by line against Korean Air's current pilot agreement or an official pay publication, so we do not present it as a pay scale. Pages where we have done that check say “From the pilot contract” and list the source and the date we read it. If you hold the current Korean Air scale, the contact page is the fastest way to get it corrected.
Before Korean Air pays you any of this, you sit their aptitude battery.
Sit a timed practice paper free — no account. Scored on pace as well as accuracy, because pace is what the real battery culls on.
How Korean Air pay compares
Same currency, ranked by top Captain pay. New First Officer pay sits in the lighter bar. Contract rows are hourly rates × 1,000 credit hours a year.
- Korean Air (this page)EstimateCapt $200MFO yr 1 $65M
- Delta Air Lines ContractCapt $484KFO yr 1 $126K
- United Airlines ContractCapt $484KFO yr 1 $126K
- FedEx Express ContractCapt $469KFO yr 1 $113K
What it takes to get hired at Korean Air
Checked against Korean Air's official careers pages on August 22, 2026. Full Korean Air recruitment guide
| Licence | ICAO ATPL, convertible to a Republic of Korea licence |
|---|---|
| Medical | Class 1 |
| Open campaign | A civil-experience new pilot intake (신입 조종사 · 민경력) was open at the time of checking, running to 30 June 2027. Korean Air also runs a separate military-experience intake (군경력) in its own window. |
| Where the criteria are | Inside each posting on Korean Air's careers portal, which publishes in Korean. Hour requirements differ between the civil and military intakes, so a single figure quoted for the airline is wrong for one of them. |
| Language | Korean is used operationally; requirements for non-Korean speakers are set per campaign |
From student pilot to Korean Air Captain
Shown for the EASA system most non-US airlines recruit from; other authorities are similar. Hour figures are regulatory minimums, time ranges are typical.
Step 1
Class 1 medical + theory
First month EASA Part-MED / Part-FCLBook the Class 1 medical before paying any school. Then ATPL theory: 13 subjects under the EASA syllabus (other authorities differ).
Try free private-pilot theory questions (FAA format)Step 2
CPL / IR / multi-engine training
≈ 200 h (EASA integrated minimum 195 h) 18–24 months integrated EASA FCL Appendix 3Integrated course in one go, or modular (PPL first, then hour building, CPL, IR). Ends with multi-crew (MCC/APS) training.
Step 3
Type rating (A320 / 737)
Simulator + base training 2–3 monthsPaid by the airline in some cadet or direct-entry schemes, self-funded in others — check the specific vacancy.
Step 4
Korean Air First Officer
Airline-specificLow-hour pilots usually join with a frozen ATPL.
Step 5
Full ATPL (unfrozen)
1,500 h incl. 500 h multi-pilot 3–4 years of line flying EASA FCL.510.AThe licence you need to be pilot-in-command of a multi-pilot airliner.
Step 6
Korean Air Captain
Command course Depends on seniority and growthUpgrade criteria (hours, time in seat, assessment) are set by each airline.
Knowing what Korean Air pays is the easy part. Getting through their selection is the part that decides whether you ever earn it.
Before a human reads your application there is an aptitude battery, and candidates consistently report it as the heaviest cull — pace, not difficulty. You can practise it here for free: timed papers generated fresh each run, plus a divided-attention drill that measures how much your performance degrades under load.
Already past the paperwork and preparing for the panel? , scored against the answers a panel is listening for. Seven days of access, no subscription.
No Korean Air pack yet — want it built?
We will not pretend to have one. We build the next pack for the airline that gets asked for most, so leaving your address here is a vote. No sequence, one email when it ships.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Korean Air pilot make in 2026?
Our estimate for Korean Air pilot pay in 2026: a First Officer earns about ₩65,000,000 a year at the start and ₩100,000,000 by year 10. Captains earn roughly ₩130,000,000 to ₩200,000,000. These figures have not yet been checked against Korean Air's current pilot contract; treat them as a range.
Is Korean Air hiring pilots in 2026?
Korean Air is hiring pilots, according to its official careers pages as of August 22, 2026. Openings change month to month, so check the live posting before you apply.
What do you need to fly for Korean Air?
Licence: ICAO ATPL, convertible to a Republic of Korea licence Medical: Class 1 Open campaign: A civil-experience new pilot intake (신입 조종사 · 민경력) was open at the time of checking, running to 30 June 2027. Korean Air also runs a separate military-experience intake (군경력) in its own window.
Where do these Korean Air pay figures come from?
They are estimates that we have not yet checked against Korean Air's current pilot contract or an official pay publication. Pages we have checked say "From the pilot contract" and name the source and date.
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