23 August 2016
Booming demand for air travel in China and the need for Chinese airlines to hire nearly 100 pilots a week has created a pay explosion. One Chinese airline, Xiamen Airlines, is reported to be offering Western pilots more than $320,000 (£240,000) a year to join them.
Air traffic in China is forecast to quadruple over the next 20 years according to an Airbus report. Boeing has also released similar estimates.
News agency Bloomsberg is quoting Giacomo Palombo, a former United Airlines pilot, who says he’s being bombarded every week with offers to fly Airbus A320s in China. Regional carrier Qingdao Airlines promises $318,000 a year while Sichuan Airlines, which flies to Canada and Australia, is offering $302,000. Both airlines say they’ll also cover his income tax bill in China.
Las Vegas-based Wasinc International is recruiting for more than a dozen Chinese carriers, including Chengdu Airlines, Qingdao Airlines and Ruili Airlines.
“When we ask an airline, ‘How many pilots do you need?,’ they say, ‘Oh, we can take as many as you bring,”’ said Dave Ross of Wasinc. One pilot he placed with Beijing Capital Airlines is earning $80,000 a month.
“I looked at that and thought, ‘Man, I’m in the wrong line of business,’” said Ross. “They can live like a king.”
