Air Pilots Award: Pay Rates, Classifications, and Obligations

The Award was last updated on 23 January 2026, with changes to definitions, superannuation, and workplace delegates’ rights. Also, from 1 July 2025, the Annual Wage Review increased the Award’s minimum pay rates and allowances by 3.5%.

In this guide, we cover who the Award applies to, how to classify roles across the streams, and the key pay, hours, overtime, penalty-style payments, allowances, and leave rules to follow. 

The Pilots Award: A Quick Summary for Busy Managers

The Air Pilots Award [MA000046] sets minimum pay rates and conditions for air pilots and helicopter aircrew employed in aviation operations across Australia, including airline and general aviation, regional airlines, aerial application, and helicopter operations.

To stay compliant, managers must consider:

• Award coverage: Whether the employee is covered by this Award rather than a different award that could apply based on the main duties (e.g., the Airline Operations—Ground Staff Award).
• Employee type: Whether the employee is full-time, part-time, or casual.
• Employee classification: Whether the employee falls under Airlines/General Aviation, Regional Airlines, Aerial Application Operations, Helicopter Operations—Pilots, or Helicopter Operations—Aircrew, and the correct classification within that stream (including role, rank, aircraft type/weight band, years of service, or flying hours experience as applicable).
• Hours and fatigue limits: Whether flying, duty, and mandatory rest periods are being observed in line with the Award and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) rules.

A common “gotcha” in this Award is that it doesn’t use a typical weekend/public holiday penalty-rate table; instead, some conditions are handled through set extra payments or stream-specific rules (e.g., night operations allowances and duty-free day arrangements). 

Coming up: Award dates and deadlines you need to know

Award Basics

The Air Pilots Award 2020 sets the minimum pay and conditions for employers and employees in aviation operations across Australia. It commonly covers airline and general aviation pilots, regional airline pilots, aerial application pilots, helicopter pilots, and helicopter aircrew.

The Award specifies key pay rules, including minimum annual and hourly rates, as well as extra payments such as for night operations, overtime-style provisions, allowances, and ordinary hours arrangements.

The Award works alongside the National Employment Standards (NES), which provide the baseline legal entitlements for most employees, including core leave and public holiday rules. The Award then adds aviation-specific minimum pay rates and extra conditions on top of the NES.

Who’s covered under the Pilots Award?

You’re generally covered by the Award if you work as an air pilot or as helicopter aircrew, or you employ them, throughout Australia.

Businesses covered

Employers across aviation operations in Australia who employ:

• Air pilots (e.g., airlines and general aviation operators, regional airlines, and aerial application operators).
• Helicopter aircrew (e.g., helicopter operators in onshore and offshore operations).

Employees covered

Common examples include:

• Pilots, including roles such as first officer, second officer, training pilot, and check pilot.
• Helicopter aircrew, such as surveillance aircrewperson and rescue aircrewperson.

It can also apply to labour-hire (on-hire) employees when they’re placed with a client.

Who isn’t covered under the Pilots Award?

The Award doesn’t cover:

• In-flight catering businesses and their employees (covered by the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Award).
• Aircraft cabin crew (covered by the Cabin Crew Award).
• Airport ground staff (covered by the Airline Operations—Ground Staff Award, and in some cases the Airport Award, depending on whether the employer is an airline operation vs. an airport operator).
• Medical practitioners (covered by the Medical Practitioners Award).
• Ambulance and patient transport employees (covered by the Ambulance and Patient Transport Industry Award).

Coverage self-check: Does the Air Pilots Award apply?

Check the statements below to find out if the Award covers your business and employees:

• I operate a business in Australia that employs air pilots or helicopter aircrew for aviation operations, including airline and general aviation, regional airlines, aerial application, and helicopter operations.
• The employee is a licensed commercial pilot or an airline transport pilot, or is employed as a helicopter aircrew member in an eligible role, such as a rescue or surveillance aircrew member.
• The employee’s day-to-day duties match a classification under this Award, such as captain, first officer, second officer, aerial application pilot, helicopter pilot, or helicopter aircrewperson.
• The employee’s primary work isn’t covered by another award that includes pilot or helicopter aircrew classifications, such as the Airline Operations—Ground Staff Award 2020.
• There’s no enterprise agreement or other enterprise instrument covering the employee.

If most of these apply, the employee is likely covered by the Air Pilots Award 2020.

If coverage isn’t clear, check the Award wording and run the role through Fair Work’s Award Finder.

Determining Air Pilots Award [MA000046] Requirements

Under the Air Pilots Award 2020, employees are grouped in 2 main ways:

• By employment type (full-time, part-time, and casual).
• By work stream and classification (based on the type of aviation operation they work in, their role/rank, and the aircraft type or size they fly).

Employment types

The Air Pilots Award has 3 employment types: full-time, part-time, and casual.

Full-time

Full-time employees work an average of 38 ordinary hours per week. They get all the standard entitlements under the award, including paid annual leave.

Part-time

Part-time employees work less than full-time hours, but on a regular and predictable schedule. 

They get the same pay and conditions as full-timers, but things like leave are calculated based on the number of hours worked (this is called pro rata). Part-timers must be rostered for at least 2 continuous flying hours each time they work.

Casual

Casual employees are paid per flying hour, calculated as 1/800th of the annual salary for the type of work, while helicopter aircrew are paid at 1/38th of the minimum weekly rate (see an example below). Either way, a 25% casual loading is added on top (instead of paid annual leave and personal/carer’s leave, etc.).

Each time they’re called in to work, the minimum they’ll be paid is:

• 2 hours’ pay: If the shift is 4 hours or less
• 4 hours’ pay: If the shift is more than 4 hours

If they fly more than the minimum, they get paid for every flying hour or part thereof.

Note: If they work in aerial application operations, the standard casual rules don’t apply. Instead, they get paid a flat $287.40 per day for every day they’re engaged to work, no matter how many hours they fly.

Classifications and streams

The Air Pilots Award 2020 uses 5 work streams: Airlines/General Aviation, Regional Airlines, Aerial Application Operations, Helicopter Operations—Pilots, and Helicopter Operations—Aircrew.

Here’s how the classifications work in practice for each stream:

Airlines/General Aviation (Schedule A)

• Who it covers: Airline and general aviation pilots.
• How it classifies: Rank plus aircraft type/size.
• Ranks: Captain, first officer/second pilot, and second officer (for some larger aircraft).
• Aircraft types: 22 in total—14 weight-band types (e.g., single-engine UTBNI 1360 kg) and 8 larger-aircraft types (e.g., wide-body single-deck aircraft).

Regional Airlines (Schedule B)

• Who it covers: Regional airline pilots.
• How it classifies: Group (1–10) plus rank (captain or co-pilot).
• Groups: Group 1 covers smaller aircraft such as the Cessna 206/207/210; Group 10 covers turbojet aircraft such as the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737-300/400.

Aerial Application Operations (Schedule C)

• Who/what it covers: Pilots who fly to apply fertiliser, seed, bait, water, or pesticides, plus related flights such as inspecting the work area, pilot training or checking, and travel to and from the work area.
• How it classifies: Sector-specific pay and engagement rules.
• Example of a rule: Casual aerial application pilots must be paid at least 1 full day’s pay for any day they’re engaged to work.

Helicopter Operations—Pilots (Schedule D)

• Who it covers: Pilots working in helicopter operations.
• How it classifies: Role, aircraft band, and years of service.
• Roles: Pilot, co-pilot, and senior co-pilot (shown in years of service steps).
• Aircraft bands: 3 onshore bands (single-engine; twin 0–9,000 lbs; twin 9,000+ lbs) and 2 offshore command categories (single-engine command UTBNI 9,000 lbs; all other operations command).

Helicopter Operations—Aircrew (Schedule E)

• Who it covers: Non-pilot helicopter aircrew.
• How it classifies: By role.
• Roles: 7 role titles, including surveillance aircrewperson, rescue aircrewperson, surveillance mission coordinator, and chief aircrewperson.

For full classification details, refer to the applicable schedule in the Award.

Pilots Award Pay Rates and Entitlements Overview

Under the Air Pilots Award 2020, the minimum pay rates and conditions are the baseline you need to meet for covered employees, including the main rules for employment types, ordinary hours, minimum pay rates, overtime-style provisions, allowances, leave, and other key entitlements.

Minimum base rates

Minimum base rates depend on the work stream the employee falls under and how they’re classified within it (e.g., their rank, aircraft type/size, role/classification, years of service, or flying hours experience in the industry).

For this guide, we’re using the first 2 aircraft types/sizes in the Airlines/General Aviation stream, showing both hourly and annual minimum rates for the 2 main ranks, as well as 2 classifications under the Helicopter Operations—Aircrew stream, showing hourly and weekly rates, all for full-time and part-time employees:

Airlines/General Aviation

Let’s look at how the minimum pay rates work in practice, using a captain flying a single-engine UTBNI 1360 kg aircraft under the Airlines/General Aviation stream as an example:

If they work full-time, you’d pay at least the minimum annual salary of $55,586, which works out to an hourly rate of $28.13.

If they work part-time, you’d pay the minimum hourly rate of $28.13. So, 20 hours per week would be $562.60 per week (20 × $28.13).

If they’re casual, the hourly rate is calculated as 1/800th of the annual salary, plus a 25% casual loading. 1/800th of $55,586 ($55,586 ÷ 800) is $69.48, and 25% ($69.48 × 0.25) of that is $17.37, so the casual rate is $86.85 per flying hour ($69.48 + $17.37). Over 20 flying hours, that would be $1,737 (20 × $86.85).

Helicopter Operations—Aircrew

For a Helicopter Operations—Aircrew, surveillance aircrew person:

If they work full-time, you’d pay at least the minimum weekly rate of $1,129.40.

If they work part-time, you’d pay the minimum hourly rate of $29.72. So, 20 hours per week would be $594.40 per week (20 × $29.72).

If they’re casual, the hourly rate is calculated as 1/38th of the minimum weekly rate, plus a 25% casual loading. 1/38th of $1,129.40 ($1,129.40 ÷ 38) is $29.72, and 25% of that ($29.72 × 0.25) is $7.43, so the casual rate is $37.15 per flying hour ($29.72 + $7.43). Over 20 hours, that would be $743 (20 × $37.15).

For the full list of pay rates, download the Air Pilots Award Pay Guide.

Penalty rates

Under the Award, there’s no traditional weekend or public holiday penalty rate table. The Award deals with work outside normal hours through rostering rules and sets allowances or extra payments in specific situations.

Note: Public holidays are already built into the Award’s minimum wages and annual leave entitlements.

Here are the 2 rules that apply:

Overtime rules and rates

Under the Air Pilots Award, overtime is handled differently since working time is controlled mainly through rostering and aviation fatigue limits set by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), with the exception being the Helicopter Operations—Aircrew stream (see table below).

Pilots (other than Aerial Application Operations):

Here are some typical example rules surrounding hours of work and fatigue management for pilots:

• Flying hour limits: Pilots mustn’t fly more than 100 hours in any 30 continuous days, or more than 900 hours in any 365 continuous days.
• Duty hour limits: Tours of duty are capped at 11 hours, extendable to 12 hours once the duty has started.
• Extended tours and rest: If a tour of duty goes over 12 hours, or the pilot’s flight time goes over 9 hours, the pilot must get at least 24 hours of continuous rest before returning to duty.

Helicopter Operations—Aircrew:

Overtime applies when helicopter aircrew work outside or beyond their ordinary hours (ordinary hours may average 38 hours per week, inclusive of meal breaks, and must not exceed 152 hours over 28 consecutive days or 304 hours over 56 consecutive days).

Note: Each day stands on its own when calculating overtime; hours don’t carry over from one day to the next.

Here’s an example to put it into practice. Say you have a Helicopter Operations—Aircrew, rescue aircrewperson whose minimum base rate is $29.72 per hour.

• If they’re full-time or part-time and work 2 hours of overtime in a day, those first 2 overtime hours are paid at 150%.
  • That means their overtime rate is $44.58/hour ($29.72 × 1.5). For 2 hours, they’d earn $89.16.
  • If overtime continues beyond 2 hours on the same day, the rate increases to 200%, or $59.44/hour ($29.72 × 2.0).
• If they’re casual and work overtime, the rates already include the 25% loading, so you don’t add it again on top. For the first 2 hours, it’s 175%; after that, 225%.
  • First 2 hours: $52.01/hour ($29.72 × 1.75)
  • After 2 hours: $66.87/hour ($29.72 × 2.25)

For rules on time off instead of overtime pay and other overtime conditions, refer to hours of work and Schedule E.

Breaks

Breaks are scheduled pauses in a shift so employees can rest and have a meal.

For the full meal break rules and exceptions, it’s best to check the Award.

Allowances

Allowances are extra amounts paid on top of base rates when certain duties, working conditions, or work-related expenses apply.

Under the Air Pilots Award 2020, the Award includes both wage-related allowances and expense-related allowances, and some streams also have extra sector-specific allowances.

Below, we cover a few wage-related allowances (all-purpose) and expense-related allowances. 

Note: All-purpose allowances are treated as part of the employee’s pay, so they’re included when working out casual loading, overtime, and other entitlements.

Wage-related allowances (all-purpose)

Expense-related allowances

For full details, refer to the Award. 

Leave entitlements

Most leave comes from the NES, which applies even if an award covers the employee. The Air Pilots Award 2020 then adds extra rules for certain leave arrangements specific to aviation. Let’s look at annual leave.

Air Pilots Award annual leave

• Who gets annual leave: Full-time and part-time employees get 42 days of paid annual leave per year (inclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays). Part-time employees get the same entitlement on a pro rata basis. Casual employees don’t get paid annual leave (they’re paid casual loading instead).
• When leave is taken: Annual leave normally starts on a Monday unless otherwise agreed. It should generally be taken within 12 months of being due, or 15 months from the start of the previous leave period. Leave is allocated in no more than 2 periods unless mutually agreed.
• Annual leave loading: When going on annual leave, employees are paid either a 17.5% loading on their salary (inclusive of allowances) or their actual salary (inclusive of allowances), whichever is greater. This applies to the first 28 of the 42 days. Annual leave loading doesn’t apply to aerial application operations.
• Annual leave in advance: Annual leave can be taken before it accrues if there’s a written agreement that sets out the amount of leave and the start date (it must be signed by both parties).
• Cashing out annual leave: Leave can only be cashed out by written agreement each time. The employee must keep at least 4 weeks of accrued annual leave and can cash out up to 2 weeks in any 12-month period.
• Recall from annual leave: An employer can only recall an employee from annual leave by mutual agreement. If the employee is called back, they get 2 days of annual leave for every 1 day they have to return to work. This rule doesn’t apply to aerial application operations.
• Excessive leave accruals: ​​Annual leave is considered “excessive” if an employee has built up more than 84 days. The employer and employee must first try to agree on a plan to reduce the balance before the employer can direct the employee to take leave.

For full details, including illness during annual leave and proportionate annual leave on termination, refer to the Award.

Other NES leave

The standard leave entitlements under the NES also apply under this Award, including:

• Personal/carer’s leave and compassionate leave.
• Parental leave and related entitlements.
• Community service leave (e.g., jury duty or eligible emergency management activities).
• Family and domestic violence leave (the Award also notes confidentiality expectations around handling this information).

How To Determine Pilot Industry Award Coverage

Once you’ve confirmed this Award applies, match the role to the right work stream and classification, pay the correct minimum rate, and apply the relevant allowances and extra payments. This helps avoid underpayments down the track.

To see the rules in action, here’s a simple scenario in an airline or general aviation workplace.

Air Pilots Award [MA000046]: A practical, real-world example 

A full-time first officer/second pilot flying a single-engine 1360 kg–3359 kg aircraft:

• Is rostered on a standard workday, signing on at 6:00 pm and finishing at 5:00 am (11 hours).
• Performs 2 night operations during the 11:00 pm to 4:00 am window on the same duty period (i.e., the pilot flies out and returns twice).

How the Award applies:

• Classification and base rate: A first officer/second pilot flying a single-engine 1360 kg–3359 kg aircraft has a minimum annual salary of $49,426, which works out to $25.01 per hour.
• Ordinary hours: The 11-hour tour of duty falls within the Award’s maximum limit, so all hours are paid at the ordinary rate.
• Night operations allowance: The pilot performs 2 night operations, so they get an extra $19.24 for each night operation on top of their normal pay.

Pay summary:

Common scenarios and compliance tips

Work through these common scenarios and key checks to help you get it right:

1. Airline or general aviation operator hires a pilot and puts them on a different aircraft type or weight band

Key checks:

• Confirm the Air Pilots Award applies to the role and that no other award is a better fit.
• Classify the pilot under the correct stream and schedule (for Airlines/General aviation, this is Schedule A).
• Make sure you pick the correct combination of rank and aircraft type/size band, because that is what drives the minimum rates.

2. Helicopter operator employs a mix of full-time pilots and casual helicopter aircrew

Key checks:

• Confirm the correct employment type for each employee and apply the right pay structure (full-time and part-time employees are paid a minimum annual salary or weekly rate, while casuals are paid per flying hour).
• For casual helicopter aircrew, ensure the hourly rate is calculated at 1/38th of the minimum weekly rate plus 25% casual loading.
• Check minimum engagement periods for casual employees: 2 hours for shifts of 4 hours or less, and 4 hours for shifts exceeding 4 hours.

3. Aerial application operator engages a casual pilot for a seasonal spraying contract

Key checks:

• Casual aerial application pilots are paid a flat minimum of $287.40 per day for each day they report for work, regardless of how many hours they fly.
• Check that the correct commission rate is applied on top of the minimum salary: 8% of the charge-out price for spreading, 10% for liquid spraying, seeding, and baiting, and 12.5% for night spraying.
• If the pilot is directed to train or check other pilots, pay the training and checking allowance, $32.07 per hour or 100% of the applicable commission, whichever is greater.

Common employer mistakes to avoid

Here are a few common slip-ups to watch for under the Award:

• Misclassifying employees (using job titles instead of matching the role to the correct stream and classification, such as rank and aircraft band/group or aircrew role).
• Getting casual conditions wrong (using a flat hourly rate instead of 1/800th of the annual salary for pilots, or 1/38th of the minimum weekly rate for helicopter aircrew, or missing the minimum engagement rules).
• Missing extra payments (not paying or clearly listing allowances or setting extra payments when the conditions are met, such as for night operations or layover-related payments).
• Not checking rostering and fatigue limits (scheduling flying or duty time outside the Award’s limits).

Glossary

Accrued leave

When an employee has built up leave over time and can take it later (e.g., annual leave).

All-purpose allowance

“All-purpose” refers to how the allowance is applied, not what it’s paid for. It’s treated as part of an employee’s ordinary rate of pay and is added to the base rate to calculate casual loading, overtime, and other entitlements.

Duty-free day

A rostered day where a pilot is free from duty (e.g., a rostered day off that can’t be worked unless the pilot agrees).

Hours of work

The total hours an employee works across a shift or roster cycle (e.g., 38 ordinary hours over a week, plus any extra hours).

Loading

An extra percentage paid on top of the minimum rate (e.g., 25% casual loading instead of paid leave).

Ordinary hours

The standard hours an employee is rostered to work at their minimum base rate.

Pro-rata

A proportional amount based on hours worked (e.g., part-time leave and pay are calculated based on the hours worked).

Ranks

The job level or position within a flying crew structure (e.g., captain, first officer/second pilot, or second officer).

Rostered day off

A day that is scheduled as a day off on the roster (e.g., Sunday marked “OFF” on the roster).

Rostering

Setting the work schedule, including start/finish times, duties, and days off (e.g., a 7-day roster showing shifts and duty-free days).

Tour of duty

A planned period of work from sign-on to sign-off, including flying and other duties (e.g., 6:00 am sign-on to 5:00 pm sign-off).

Years of service 

A step based on how long an employee has worked in the role, which can change their pay point (e.g., moving from 1st year to 2nd year in the table).

Resources and Links

For official details and templates, see:

• Air Pilots Award 2020 [MA000046]: Full Award text.

• CASA Flight and Duty Time Limitations (CAO 48): Directly relevant to the hours of work provisions under the Award.
• CASA Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS): Relevant to the Award’s fatigue management provisions.
• Getting an Air Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL): Information on ATPL requirements, which is relevant to the ATPL allowance under the Award.
• Fair Work Record-Keeping Guidance: What to keep for pay records and payslips, plus templates. 

FAQs

What is the Air Pilots Award 2020? 

The Air Pilots Award 2020 [MA000046] sets minimum pay and conditions for employers in aviation operations across Australia, including airlines, general aviation, regional airlines, aerial application, and helicopter operations.

How much do pilots earn per hour? 

Minimum hourly rates start at $25.01 per hour for a first officer/second pilot and vary by stream, rank, and aircraft type. For the latest 1 July 2025 rates, use the Air Pilots Award Pay Guide.

How much do pilots get paid per flight? 

The Award doesn’t pay per flight. Full-time and part-time pilots are paid an annual salary, while casual pilots are paid per flying hour at 1/800th of the annual salary plus 25% casual loading. Following the Air Pilot Award increase on 1 July 2025, minimum rates rose by 3.5%.

Disclaimer

The information provided here is a summary only and does not constitute legal advice. While we have made every effort to ensure the information provided is up to date and reliable, we cannot guarantee its completeness, accuracy, or applicability to your specific situation. Laws change frequently, and outcomes may vary depending on your business circumstances. We recommend consulting a qualified employment lawyer before making decisions related to workforce management. Please note that we cannot be held liable for any actions taken or not taken based on the information presented on this website.