Pilot pay at flag carrier to soar by 360m yuan

Zhang said as the flag carrier and State-owned carrier, Air China attracts pilots for its resource advantages.

But the rising privately owned and local airlines, which pay much higher salaries, are threatening the State-owned carrier's superiority, he said. "To raise salaries for pilots is a huge advance for Air China, but it is still low for the industry," Zhang said.

The plan was floated following the signing of a public letter by hundreds of Air China pilots in April. They complained of such things as long hours and unequal treatment of Chinese and foreign pilots.

"The company provides more benefits to Chinese pilots, such as medical treatment and pensions, which the foreign pilots have to foot themselves," Air China said, explaining why the carrier pays foreign pilots a higher salary. It did not address the issue of the hours.

"Money is not everything for the pilots, who are already a high-income group, and they want more labor rights," Zhang said.

During the peak season, some pilots work close to 100 hours per month, which is the authority's upper limit, said a captain from a domestic airline. The reason is a lack of pilots in China, Zhang added.

At the end of 2013, 35,505 pilots were licensed to fly in China, while the number of civilian aircraft totaled 2,145, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Boeing Co forecast in 2013 that China would need to add 77,000 new pilots during the next 20 years.

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