What does a pilot earn in 2026?

A pilot's salary depends on role and airline: a first officer typically earns EUR 3,350-6,700 per month (2026), and a captain typically earns 2-3 times as much. At Greybird Pilot Academy we train commercial pilots for exactly that career. Here is the overview of what determines the salary, and what the career ladder looks like.

What determines a pilot's salary?

A pilot's salary varies with three things: responsibility, aircraft type and airline. As a rule, the greater your responsibility, the more demanding your roster, and the more high-end the airline, the higher the salary. That is why a captain, who carries the final responsibility for aircraft, crew and passengers, earns significantly more than a newly hired first officer, and why two first officers at two different airlines can have quite different payslips.

The career ladder: from graduate to captain

The road from training to the captain's seat typically follows four steps:

1. Graduate. You complete the integrated pilot training with a commercial pilot licence, instrument rating, frozen ATPL and an APS MCC course, ready to apply for your first job as a first officer.
2. Type rating. Your first airline trains you on the specific aircraft type you will fly. In practice the employer pays for your type rating, typically against a bonding period of around 2 years.
3. First Officer. Most start in the right-hand seat, for example on regional aircraft with 50-100 passengers or on a medium-sized jet such as the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320. The salary here is typically EUR 3,350-6,700 per month.
4. Captain. With experience and hours in your logbook you move to the left-hand seat, where the salary is typically 2-3 times the first officer's.

Other paths exist too: private jet pilot, commuter aircraft, or a career as a flight instructor training the next generation of pilots.

Is the pilot training worth the investment?

The pilot training at Greybird Pilot Academy costs EUR 105,000 (2026), and with a first officer's salary of typically EUR 3,350-6,700 per month (and a captain's salary 2-3 times higher later in your career) the maths is straightforward, even though no serious school can guarantee you a job. Our graduates are employed at airlines such as SAS, Norwegian, Ryanair and Atlantic Airways, and from day one we train you in the attitude airlines actually hire for.

Want to run the numbers on your own plan? See price and financing, or join a free information meeting where we go through both the finances and the career path with you.