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INAir Pilots Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Air Pilots Award actually pays — the right aircraft category, the annual salary converted to weekly and hourly, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Air Pilots Award is applied
- Minimum pay is an annual salary per aircraft weight category (Schedule A.1.1), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 — the calculator converts it to weekly (÷ 52) and hourly (÷ 52 ÷ 38) as planning figures.
- There are no evening, weekend or public-holiday penalties: the salary and the 42-day annual leave entitlement are set to compensate for duty on any day, public holidays included (clause 29.1).
- Casuals are different here: the award pays a casual pilot 1/800th of the annual salary (including additions) per flying hour, plus 25% loading — usually far more per hour than a salary-derived rate. The calculator’s casual figures apply the 25% loading to the derived hourly as an approximation.
- There are no overtime rates either — CASA flight and duty limits cap the hours instead (100 flying hours in 30 days, 900 in a year, 11-hour maximum tours of duty), so the calculator prices hours beyond 38 a week at ordinary rates.
- Additions to salary are the trap employers miss most: turbo-prop, turbo-jet, ATPL and instrument-rating amounts are part of the legal minimum. A pilot who agrees to work a rostered duty-free day is also owed an extra $138.85 for that day, plus a substitute day off.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings — for a salaried pilot that means the full salary including additions.
Who the award covers
- Airline and general aviation operators — charter, flight training and freight pilots
- Regional airline pilots (aircraft Groups 1–10, Schedule B)
- Aerial application (agricultural) pilots, banded by flying-hours experience
- Helicopter pilots — on-shore and off-shore operations
- Helicopter aircrew — surveillance, rescue and winch roles
Pilots and helicopter aircrew only. Cabin crew sit under the Aircraft Cabin Crew Award, ground staff under the Airline Operations—Ground Staff Award, and maintenance engineers under their own instruments — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Air Pilots Award doesn’t use a level ladder — pilots are classified by sector, then by the aircraft they fly. In airlines and general aviation, the minimum is an annual salary set by the aircraft’s maximum take-off weight (MTOW), with separate Captain and First Officer columns. Find the aircraft’s certified MTOW, find the weight band, and the salary follows.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single engine — under 1,360 kg | $29.47 | $1119.73 | Flying-school and private-hire singles — Cessna 172 class | Captain of a single-engine aircraft with a maximum take-off weight under 1,360 kg. Award minimum: $58,226 a year ($52,257 for a First Officer/Second Pilot). This is the award’s standard rate base. |
| Single engine — 1,360–3,359 kg | $30.72 | $1167.35 | Heavier charter singles — Cessna 206/210 class | Captain of a single-engine aircraft with MTOW from 1,360 kg up to 3,359 kg. Award minimum: $60,702 a year ($52,257 First Officer). |
| Single engine — 3,360 kg and above | $35.68 | $1355.69 | Large single turbo-props — PC-12 class | Captain of a single-engine aircraft with MTOW of 3,360 kg or more. Award minimum: $70,496 a year ($55,083 First Officer). |
| Multi engine — under 3,360 kg | $34.31 | $1303.75 | Light piston twins — training and charter | Captain of a multi-engine aircraft with MTOW under 3,360 kg. Award minimum: $67,795 a year ($53,036 First Officer). |
| Multi engine — 3,360–5,660 kg | $35.68 | $1355.69 | Cabin-class twins and light turbo-props — Cessna 441 class | Captain of a multi-engine aircraft with MTOW from 3,360 kg up to but not including 5,660 kg. Award minimum: $70,496 a year ($55,083 First Officer). |
| Multi engine — 5,660–8,500 kg | $37.63 | $1429.87 | Turbo-prop commuters — King Air 200 class | Captain of a multi-engine aircraft with MTOW from 5,660 kg up to but not including 8,500 kg. Award minimum: $74,353 a year ($57,388 First Officer). |
| Multi engine — 8,500–12,000 kg | $40.48 | $1538.15 | Light corporate jets — Citation class | Captain of a multi-engine aircraft with MTOW from 8,500 kg up to but not including 12,000 kg. Award minimum: $79,984 a year ($60,952 First Officer). |
| Multi engine — 12,000–15,000 kg | $43.51 | $1653.21 | Small regional airliners — Saab 340 class | Captain of a multi-engine aircraft with MTOW from 12,000 kg up to but not including 15,000 kg. Award minimum: $85,967 a year ($64,901 First Officer). |
| Multi engine — 15,000–19,000 kg | $47.41 | $1801.58 | Regional turbo-props — Dash 8/ATR 42 class | Captain of a multi-engine aircraft with MTOW from 15,000 kg up to but not including 19,000 kg. Award minimum: $93,682 a year ($69,621 First Officer). |
| Multi engine — 19,000 kg and above | $50.73 | $1927.56 | Larger turbo-props and freighters | Captain of a multi-engine aircraft with MTOW of 19,000 kg and above, unless the aircraft is specifically listed elsewhere. Award minimum: $100,233 a year ($73,359 First Officer). |
- The calculator shows the Schedule A (airlines/general aviation) Captain salaries — the structure most small operators use. First Officers and Second Pilots have their own column, noted against each level.
- Four other structures exist: regional airlines (aircraft Groups 1–10, up to $174,391 for a Group 10 Captain), aerial application pilots (banded by flying-hours experience), helicopter pilots (engine/weight category plus year of service) and helicopter aircrew (named roles). Larger aircraft — narrow and wide body — have their own table, up to $236,988.
- Additions to salary stack on top of the minimum and are part of it, not extras: flying a turbo-prop adds $8,924.25 a year, a turbo-jet $14,332.54, a required ATPL $6,763.17, and a Command/Class 1 instrument rating $8,196.42. A First Officer receives 65% of most additions.
- Classify by the aircraft actually flown — if a pilot flies types in different bands, the change-of-category rules in clause 12 decide what applies.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Air Pilots Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Air Pilots Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Air Pilots Award requires:
Rest periods between duty periods are governed separately by the award’s flight and duty limits (clause 15.8).
Calculate a week under the Air Pilots Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000046) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Why does a salary award show hourly rates?
The award sets annual salaries, not weekly wages — so the calculator divides by 52 for a weekly figure and by 38 again for an hourly one. They’re planning conversions for rostering and costing; the legal minimum is the annual salary itself, plus any additions to salary that apply.
How are casual pilots actually paid?
Per flying hour — not per duty hour. The formula is the annual salary (including additions) divided by 800, plus 25% casual loading. A casual on the lightest single-engine category works out around $91 per flying hour ($58,226 ÷ 800 × 1.25), with 2- and 4-hour minimum payments per attendance. Use the calculator’s casual figures as a rough guide only.
Do I owe weekend or public-holiday penalties?
No — this award has none. The annual salary and the 42-day annual leave entitlement (which counts Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays) are set to compensate for flying on any day of the year. What limits the roster isn’t penalty rates, it’s CASA flight and duty limits.
What are “additions to salary”?
Fixed annual amounts that stack on the base salary and form part of the minimum: $8,924.25 for flying a turbo-prop, $14,332.54 for a turbo-jet, $6,763.17 where an ATPL is required, and instrument-rating amounts up to $8,196.42. A First Officer gets 65% of most of them. Miss these and the pay is under-award even if the base salary is right.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
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Tommy applies the right award rates to every shift as you roster — penalties, loading and super included. Start with your email and your numbers come along.
