Finnair Pilot Salary in 2025

Finnair (AY) is Finland’s flag carrier and the sole full-service operator based in the country. The airline is majorly owned by the Finnish government since its founding in 1923 and operates out of Helsinki’s Vantaa International Airport. They are also a member of the Oneworld alliance, the second-largest airways alliance in the world after Star Alliance.

With a fleet of close to 80 aircraft, Finland flies to over 100 domestic and international destinations, while being one of Europe’s fastest-growing full-service carriers. Finnair is a particularly key option for passengers codesharing via larger Oneworld members like American Airlines, British Airways, and Qatar Airways, to name a few.

Finnair Pilots Salary

At the time of writing, Finnair employs close to 850 pilots, and here is everything you need to know about their salaries, the benefits they enjoy, the requirements to join the airline, as well as the hiring steps for pilot roles.

Photo: Finnair

Finnair Second Officer Salary

Finnair employs second officers, its junior-most category of pilots, to be deployed on long-haul flights to act as relief pilots when captains and first officers are resting. This category shadows the chief commanders and gains valuable hours in the cockpit when the flight is cruising. Second officers are most commonly rostered on flights exceeding nine hours in block duration.

They are paid a flat salary of €4,500 per month by Finnair, or approximately US$5,300. They are entitled to per diems while laying over, and their flying hours are also compensated, with each individual making between 20% and 40% over and above their basic salaries each month. With experience, second officers gain promotions to become first officers on wide-bodies.

Finnair First Officer Salary

Finnair first officers are the mid-senior category of pilots employed by the airline. They work closely with the captains to execute each flight successfully by handling communication with the air traffic controllers, carrying out vital safety checks on planes when on the ground before takeoffs, and those with more hours also fly under the captain’s shadow before promotions.

First officers at Finnair are paid a salary ranging from €5,500 to €7,700 every month (approx. US$6,400 to US$9,000) with the overall figure depending on the type of aircraft they fly, their overall experience and the flying hours they put in each month. An hourly flying allowance is also paid out to them and amounts to 20% to 40% of their basic salaries during a month-long roster.

Finnair Captain’s Salary

Finnair captains are the airline’s most experienced band of pilots and are the most responsible for the safety of the aircraft flying as well as their passengers. They are tasked with making some of the quickest and most vital decisions during the critical phases of the flight, and with experience, commanders are also tasked with training first officers to gain their four stripes.

Finnair pays its captains a salary ranging from €10,800 to €13,000 per month (approx. US$12,600 to US$15,200), with the fixed figure depending on each individual’s prescribed aircraft type, the amount of experience they possess, and the flying hours they log each month. As with first officers and second officers, their hourly payouts for flights amount to 20% to 40% of their basic salaries.

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Photo: By Valentin Hintikka from Finland – OH-LWD Finnair A350 @ HEL, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58946514

Benefits Enjoyed by Finnair Pilots

In addition to their basic salaries and hourly rates when flying, Finnair’s pilots are entitled to the following benefits.

• Layover allowances – Finnair pays its pilots layover allowances when they are made to spend time away from the Helsinki base. The payout depends on each individual’s duration of layover and the cities, but the average amount monthly is between €200 and €500.
• Paid time off – Finnair offers its pilots a generous amount of paid time off. In addition to public holidays, they are entitled to a minimum of 10 days off each month and 30 days of paid annual leave in a calendar year, taking the total amount to at least 150 days.
• Staff travel – Finnair pilots can enjoy the airline’s staff travel scheme, which entitles them to discounted flights on the airline’s entire network on all classes of travel. Depending on codeshares, benefits extend to partner airlines and Oneworld carriers too.
• Insurance – Finnair pilots are entitled to a globally valid medical insurance policies which protect them from unforeseen expenditure on their healthcare. This benefit also extends to their immediate family members in addition to life insurance for the employee.
• Career progression – Finnair pilots have a career path beyond their tenures in the cockpit. There are several individuals who have been employed in the airline’s planning and aircraft scheduling arms or with the Finnair Flight Academy to prolong their employment.
• Wellness options – Finnair values its employees’ mental and physical well-being. They offer generous discounts to their pilots through corporate partnerships with gyms and other fitness clubs in and around the vicinity of Helsinki, their main operational hub.

Photo: Clément Alloing

What aircraft do Finnair pilots fly?

Finnair operates a fleet that is mainly dominated by Airbus narrow and wide-body aircraft, while they also have a few ATRs and Embraer planes to fly regionally. Here is a breakdown of their whole fleet.

• Airbus A319-100 – 5
• Airbus A320-200 – 10
• Airbus A321-200 – 15
• Airbus A330-300 – 8
• Airbus A350-900 – 18
• ATR 72-500 – 12
• Embraer E190 – 12

In addition to its existing fleet, Finnair also has one Airbus A350-900 on order.

Photo: Finnair (via X)

How to become a pilot for Finnair?

Finnair pilots are required to fulfil the requirements below to be employed by the airline. Their criteria for minimum flying hours and type-rating are advertised when they are specifically hiring for pilots with a certain amount of experience for a particular aircraft type.

• Commercial pilot licence
• Degree from an upper secondary school or completed vocational upper secondary qualification of at least three years (180 ECTS credits, 120 in the former credit system)
• The minimum height requirement is 163cm
• Good language skills in Finnish and English
• Fulfilling the medical criteria defined by Finnair
• Passing a brief security clearance by the police

Photo: Finnair (via Facebook)

Steps for Getting Hired

Finnair has the following steps in its hiring process for pilots.

1. ONLINE APPLICATION – Interested candidates must submit an online application through the Finnair careers portal with their resume and any other supporting documentation.
2. VIRTUAL TEST – For shortlisted candidates, an online test is conducted by the Finnair hiring team to ascertain their psychometric abilities and past experience in line with the job requirements.
3. INTERVIEW – A one-on-one interview is held between the hiring team and the shortlisted pilots to judge their career goals and get to know them better. In this step, group exercises and a simulator test are already carried out.
4. OFFER – Finnair makes a conditional offer to candidates who pass the interview, group exercise, and simulator test phases. It is subject to the successful verification of documentation, as well as passing medical exams and a police check.

Finnair Pilot Salary FAQs

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