Pay & conditions · Asia-Pacific
Korean Air: pilot jobs, pay and conditions
South Korea · Legacy · KE / KAL
Hiring now
Expat captains A330/B777/B787 via Rishworth/CCL (ongoing monthly screenings); civil-experience local intake open to Jun 2027.
Pay
Local contract
First officer
KRW 65,000,000–100,000,000 a year
about $49–75k a year
Captain
KRW 130,000,000–200,000,000 a year
about $97–150k a year
Local pay: aggregator estimates, unverified. Expat captain contract (CCL 2026): >EUR150,000/yr with Korean tax paid.
Expat contract
First officer
Not published
Captain
EUR 150,000 a year
CCL agency adverts for Korean Air A330 and B787/B777 captains quote more than EUR 150,000 a year, with Korean income tax paid. Older forum figures (2006-2008) were about USD 9,500-12,000 a month for captains and USD 6,200 for B737 FOs. Expat hiring is for captains only.
Open vacancies (5)
A380 Captains
A380 · ICN · minimum 7,000 hours · agency · apply on rishworthaviation.com
Via Rishworth. 1,000+ PIC on type, 2,500+ PIC multi-crew jet, 5,000+ multi-crew jet; under 60. Screening in Seoul monthly from Jan 2027. Base not stated on listing (Incheon accommodation provided).
B747 Captains
B747 · ICN · minimum 7,000 hours · agency · apply on rishworthaviation.com
Via Rishworth. 1,000+ PIC on type, 2,500+ PIC multi-crew jet, 5,000+ multi-crew jet; under 60. Screening in Seoul monthly from Jan 2027. Base not stated on listing (Incheon accommodation provided).
B787 Captain
B787 · ICN · minimum 7,000 hours · fixed-term · apply on rishworthaviation.com
5-yr renewable worldwide commuting contract; 1,000h PIC B787.
Expat Captain A330 (commuting)
A330 · ICN · minimum 7,000 hours · contract · apply on rishworthaviation.com
Ongoing; applications close last day of each month. 5-yr renewable.
Expat Captain B787/B777 (commuting)
B787/B777 · ICN · minimum 7,000 hours · contract · apply on cclaviation.com
11 days off/month; max join age 60.
Conditions
- Allowances
- Worldwide commuting allowance up to 3 days (expat).
- Roster
- Expat: 9 consecutive days off/month + 2 days leave (11 days), worldwide commuting.
- Bases
- ICN, GMP
- Fleet
- A330, A380, B747, B777, B787, A321neo, B737 MAX
- Benefits
- Expat: tax paid by company; 5-year renewable contract; retire 65.
- Union
- Korean Air Pilots Union
- Careers site
- recruiter.co.kr ↗
Requirements
- Captain
- 7,000 hours minimum
- Type rating
- varies
- Licence
- ICAO ATPL (convert to ROK)
- Other
- Expat CPT: 7,000h TT, 5,000h jet, 2,500h PIC, 1,000h PIC on type; max age 60 at join; ELP L5
Sources
From published reports in the aviation press · figures from 2026 · checked 30 Oct 2026
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