Qantas Airways vs Cathay Pacific
A side-by-side comparison of pilot careers at Qantas Airways (QF) and Cathay Pacific (CX) — covering salary, fleet, requirements, and more.
Airline selection starts with an aptitude battery
It screens you before a human reads your application. Sit a timed practice paper free — scored on pace, which is what actually culls candidates.
Which one fits you
Read from the numbers above rather than from opinion. Where the published data does not settle a question, it is left open instead of guessed.
Qantas Airways opens earlier
Qantas Airways states 500 hours where Cathay Pacific states 2,500. That gap is roughly 4 years of flying at a typical instructor's pace, so for most candidates these are not two applications you send the same week — one is now and the other is later.
Cathay Pacific pays higher at both ends
Top of band: $900,000 as an FO and $2,000,000 as a captain. Bands are wide because seniority, fleet and country tax all move them — treat this as direction, not a payslip.
Different countries, different right to work
Qantas Airways hires into Australia and Cathay Pacific into Hong Kong. Before comparing anything else, check which one you can legally be employed in — residency and licence conversion decide more applications than flying ability does.
Whichever you pick, the gate is the same shape
Both run an aptitude battery before a human reads your CV, then a competency interview scored against the ICAO pilot competencies. We do not have a pack for either yet — the aptitude practice below applies to both.
Knowing what Qantas Airways 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 Qantas Airways 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.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Requirements Comparison
Qantas Airways
- CASA ATPL
- 2,500+ hours total
- 500+ hours on type
- Class 1 medical
- Australian work rights
Cathay Pacific
- ICAO ATPL
- 2,500+ hours total
- 1,500+ on multi-crew jets
- Class 1 medical
- Hong Kong resident or willing to relocate
Pros & Cons
Qantas Airways
Pros
- +Modern fleet with 787 Dreamliner
- +Simplified fleet — fewer type ratings needed
Cathay Pacific
Pros
- +Simplified fleet — fewer type ratings needed
Cons
- –High cost of living in Hong Kong
About Each Airline
Qantas Airways
Australia's flag carrier and one of the world's safest airlines, offering premium routes across the Asia-Pacific and beyond.
Full Qantas Airways career guide →Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong's flagship carrier offers tax-efficient compensation and access to one of Asia's premium aviation networks.
Full Cathay Pacific career guide →Calculate Your Salary
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