Qantas pilot salary 2025: what the Fair Work Commission decision reveals

Introduction

When you see a job ad for a Qantas pilot, the salary figure can be hard to compare across different roles and aircraft types. The keyword qantas pilot salary 2025 often leads to confusion because pay depends on whether you are a captain, first officer, or trainee, and on the size of the aircraft you fly. This guide uses the latest public information from the Fair Work Commission to break down the minimum rates and show you how to compare offers using the Salary Index.

Understanding the Award and Enterprise Agreement

Qantas pilots are covered by the Air Pilots Award 2020 and a specific enterprise agreement approved in 2025. The Fair Work Commission decision sets out the minimum salaries under the award and explains how the enterprise agreement applies. The Commission also updated the Modern Awards Pay Database with new classification rates effective from 1 July 2026, including a 4.75% increase from the Annual Wage Review.

For a pilot reading a job ad, the key is to identify the aircraft type and your role. The award groups aircraft by maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and provides separate tables for smaller aircraft and larger ("larger aircraft") types. The enterprise agreement may offer higher rates, but the award minimums are a useful baseline.

Minimum Salaries by Aircraft Type

The award minimums (as of the 2025 decision) are:

Smaller Aircraft (under 19,000 kg MTOW)

• Single engine under 1360 kg: Captain $53,706, First Officer $47,755
• Multi engine 8500–12000 kg: Captain $73,775, First Officer $56,220
• Dash 8 400 (28,998 kg MTOW): Captain $92,309, First Officer $67,664

Larger Aircraft (19,000 kg MTOW and above)

• Narrow body (e.g., B737, A320): Captain $168,634, First Officer $111,060
• Wide body single deck (e.g., B787, A330): Captain $193,611, First Officer $127,404
• Wide body double deck (e.g., A380): Captain $218,591, First Officer $143,748
• Second Officer on wide body single deck: $77,284; on double deck: $87,090

In addition, a pilot flying a turbo jet aircraft (excluding Fokker-28) receives an allowance of $13,219.97 per year. So a narrow-body captain’s total minimum would be $168,634 + $13,219.97 = $181,853.97.

First Officer Under Training (FOT) Pay

A common role in Qantas job ads is the First Officer under Training (FOT). Under the enterprise agreement, FOT on B737 and A320 are paid $6,218.35 per 28-day bid period. That works out to about $80,838 per year (using 13 bid periods). This is a training rate; once the FOT is cleared to line as a First Officer, pay jumps to the First Officer rate (e.g., $168,283.97 for year 1). The Commission confirmed that FOT are covered by the Miscellaneous Award, but their enterprise agreement pay far exceeds that award’s rates.

How to Compare Offers Using the Salary Index

The Salary Index lets you compare any gross annual salary to the national line of $108,352 (full-time adult ordinary-time earnings from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026). To calculate the index, divide the salary by $108,352 and multiply by 100. For example:

• Narrow-body captain ($168,634): index 155.6 – well above the national line.
• Wide-body double-deck captain ($218,591): index 201.7 – double the national average.
• First officer narrow-body ($111,060): index 102.5 – slightly above average.
• FOT trainee ($80,838): index 74.6 – below average but still above the national minimum wage (index 48.2).

These indices help you see where a job offer sits relative to other industries. For instance, the mining industry index is 154.7, similar to a narrow-body captain. The retail trade index is 75.9, close to the FOT rate. You can also compare by state: a Qantas pilot based in New South Wales (index 101.2) would have a slightly higher cost of living than one in Tasmania (index 88.6), but the pilot’s salary may be the same regardless of base.

Caveats

These figures are minimum rates from the award or enterprise agreement. Actual pay may be higher due to experience, additional allowances (e.g., instrument rating allowance), or individual contracts. The Fair Work Commission decision is from May 2025; rates have since been updated in the Modern Awards Pay Database with the 2026 wage review. Always check the latest award or enterprise agreement for current rates. Superannuation is 12% from 1 July 2026, and tax is progressive (30% for income between $45,001 and $135,000 in 2026–27).

For more context on how pilot pay compares across the economy, see our industries page or pay guides. If you are reading a job ad, use the Salary Index to make an informed comparison.

FAQs

(FAQs are provided in the JSON array above.)