Survey: Business Aviation Pilot Salaries Up 12 Percent

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) says business aviation pilots saw average pay raises of about 12 percent in the last year. 

The association’s annual compensation survey also found that the average salary increase across all positions was 7.22 percent. 

Dr. Christopher Broyhill, who helped conduct the survey, said it confirms industry scuttlebutt. “We’re hearing a lot of anecdotal stuff about pay raises out there and people getting more money for these positions, but that pretty much anchors it, shows that what we’re hearing is true.”

The survey took a deeper dive into various forms of pilot compensation and discovered that retention bonuses for senior captains averaged $27,000. 

Broyhill said business pilots have the airline pilot shortage to thank for their fatter wallets. “We’re seeing the results of airline pressure on wages in our industry because people are having to pay pilots more to keep them from leaving and going to the airlines or going to other operators who lose people to the airlines,” Broyhill said.