Illustrative image (Photo: Vietnam Airlines)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The Vietnam Airlines Corporation has decided to increase the salary of pilots on Boeing B787 and Airbus A350 by 22 percent, nine months ahead of schedule.

The pay rise was announced in the context of a fiercely competitive aviation market and shortage of pilots.

A pilot and instructor who fly 85 hours a month will have a new monthly salary of 116 million VND (5,000 USD), increasing by 21 million VND, while a co-pilot earns 56 million VND, up 10 million VND.

This salary does not include other income items such as title salary, responsibility allowance, flight supervisor allowance (if any), overtime pay, telephone, stationery and aviation security money.

Thus, if increasing the salary by 21 million VND for pilots and instructors and 10 million VND for co-pilots, the average income is 229 million VND and 136 million VND, respectively. 

CEO of Vietnam Airlines Duong Tri Thanh said the earlier pay rise is part of great efforts by the corporation, aiming to ensure the income level for pilots in the face of constraints from management mechanisms, especially strict regulations on salaries and bonuses under the guidance of competent authorities.

“To the extent permitted, Vietnam Airlines has made efforts to improve the salary, bonus and special preference policies applicable to the aircraft pilots,” Thanh said.

On June 1 this year, Vietnam Airlines reformed the salary for Vietnamese aircraft pilots, in which the net income of Vietnamese pilots and instructors is equal to 75 percent of foreign counterparts, while that of co-pilots equal to 65 percent of their foreign counterparts.

“We will continue to implement wage reforms until 2025,” Thanh said.

A source told VnExpress that although the 2019 salary had not been announced, the income for pilots at Vietjet ranges between 140 million VND and 240 million VND. For Jetstar Pacific, this figure is between 100 million VND and 180 million VND.

According to Vietnam Airlines, it takes four years to train an A321 pilot and seven to eight years for an A350, with high training costs. The average income of each pilot is about 150 million VND per month.

The carrier is operating 115 aircraft, with more than 20,000 employees. About 1,200 are pilots, of which 800 were trained by Vietnam Airlines.

A report by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam shows that Vietnamese airlines are operating more than 170 aircraft. The figure is expected to rise to 250 units in 2020, with an annual increase of about 200 pilots.

Concluding a governmental conference in June this year, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked that the establishment or expansion of airlines must ensure the maintenance and improvement of aviation safety, as well as the ability to supply human resources including pilots, engineers, and repair and maintenance staff./.VNA

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