BA pilot salary: how much do British Airways pilots earn a year?

9 September 2019, 13:09

BA pilots are striking for the first time ever
BA pilots are striking for the first time ever. Picture: Getty

Everything you need to know about BA pilots' salaries as airline announces strike

British Airways have asked the public to not show up to the airport to catch their flights as pilots have started a two-day strike amid rows over pay and conditions.

Read more: BA strike 2019: Which flights are cancelled and are passengers entitled to compensation?

The airline has cancelled around 1,700 flights, as pilots' union Balpa claims that BA's cost-cuts and "dumbing down" has diminished confidence in the airline.

BA pilots are striking this week
BA pilots are striking this week. Picture: Getty

Balpa's general secretary, Brian Strutton, told the BBC: "It is time to get back to the negotiating table and put together a serious offer that will end this dispute."

"BA has lost the trust and confidence of pilots because of cost-cutting and the dumbing down of the brand... management want to squeeze every last penny out of customers and staff," he added.

This is the first time British Airways pilots have ever walked out, and it's been estimated that the strikes could cost the airline up to £40m a day. Around 4,000 pilots are involved in the strike.

BA said in a statement: "We understand the frustration and disruption Balpa's strike action has caused our customers. After many months of trying to resolve the pay dispute, we are extremely sorry that it has come to this.

"Unfortunately, with no detail from Balpa on which pilots would strike, we had no way of predicting how many would come to work or which aircraft they are qualified to fly, so we had no option but to cancel nearly 100% of our flights."

Here's everything you need to know about BA pilots' salaries.

BA pilots are striking after a row over pay
BA pilots are striking after a row over pay. Picture: Getty

How much do British Airways pilots get paid?

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for BA pilot is £88,347 per year.

Salaries are said to range between £26,000 and £120,000, but jump to £168,000 for international pilots.

And, according to the Aviation Job Search blog, BA is “one of the best airlines to fly for in terms of average salaries.”

The blog adds: “Our calculations suggest that a long-haul pilot with lots of experience could well reach the £150,000 mark.”