Vietnam has one of the world’s most budding airline industries that is powered by the country’s ever-growing tourism along with the development of commerce and trade too. The Southeast Asian country soon aspires to compete with rivals like Singapore and Thailand in the aviation landscape with two massive airlines expected to lead a revolution.
The Vietnamese flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines (VN), is majorly owned by the government while leading low-cost operator VietJet Air (VJ) was established in 2007 and commenced operations four years afterward, thereby becoming the first privately owned airline in the country. Between them, Vietnam and VietJet employ thousands of pilots, locally and from overseas.
Photo: Vietnam AirlinesVietnam Airlines Pilots Salary
Vietnam Airlines has a fleet of 93 aircraft, with a century not being too far away. They fly to 66 destinations around the world and are also in the midst of expanding coverage to the United States from their two operating bases, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. VN’s association with SkyTeam is proving particularly crucial in the carrier’s ambitious growth plans.
Vietnam Airlines bases its captains out of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, both, while their bases may be changed occasionally with deadhead movements also frequent subject to the operational requirements. Captains are offered contracts ranging between two and five years, depending on factors such as experience, nationality, and aircraft type amongst others.
Generally, the salary of the commanders flying for Vietnam Airlines tends to range between US$10,000 and US$18,000 per month, or from US$120,000 to US$216,000 annually. This figure is subject to seniority and experience within the airline, while appraisals and bonuses are also common each year depending on the individual’s as well as the company’s performance.
Vietnam Airlines captains fly a fleet mainly dominated by the Airbus A320 family airplanes with the wide-body fleet consisting of the Airbus A350-900 and variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
At the moment, there is not much information regarding the division of basic pay and additional compensation subject to flying hours, as is typical among carriers globally. However, captains are expected to fly across 190 hours across a two-month roster and are paid with the minimum guarantee of the contracted timeframe, with overtime earnings over and above the base.
Also, the data available is for expatriate captains that Vietnam Airlines hires from overseas with several locally acquired employees anonymously complaining of payment disparities favoring the foreigners.
Photo: Vietnam AirlinesBenefits Vietnam Airlines Captains enjoy
Vietnam Airlines, thanks to being owned by the government, offers fantastic job security to its pilots, and apart from competitive pay rates, captains enjoy the following non-monetary benefits, besides the conventional layover allowances, hotel accommodation, etc.
- CAREER PROGRESSION – Captains with relevant experience have good progression opportunities internally within Vietnam Airlines with roles such as line-training captain and type-rating instructor up for grabs for senior personnel.
- USD PAYMENTS – Expatriate captains are paid salaries in US dollars. This allows them to invest money overseas in lucrative schemes as well as to leverage the high US dollar exchange rates in Vietnam as well as in their home countries.
- ATTRACTIVE HOLIDAY PLAN – Vietnam Airlines captains are provided up to 13 weeks of leave per year with rostered days off, public holidays, sick leaves, and paid annual leaves combined. This counts for 25% of the total days in a calendar year.
- MEDICAL INSURANCE – A comprehensive medical insurance valid globally is provided to the pilots and their immediate families. This covers any expenditure incurred from the most basic to the most complicated medical treatments.
- LOSS OF INCOME INSURANCE – Captains can sign up for a loss of income insurance, which entitles them to a lump sum payment in the event of death or other causes leading to inability to continue working under reasonable conditions.
- TICKET ALLOWANCE – Up to 20 tickets are permitted per head for the pilots and their immediate families on the Vietnam Airlines network in a calendar year. These are in economy class with free business class upgrades subject to availability.
Photo: VietJet AirVietJet Air Pilots Salary
VietJet Air is a low-cost carrier operating from five cities in Vietnam – Da Nang, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang. It is the country’s first privately owned airline and interestingly, operates to 115 destinations, almost twice as many as Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, with a fleet of 91 Airbus aircraft under its wings.
As in the case of captains hired by Vietnam Airlines, commanders at VJ are provided with two or three-year contracts which are renewable at the end of their terms. These include clauses for conditional bonuses as well as appraisals on a yearly basis. Five-year contracts are uncommon at VietJet due to its low-cost and flexible business model.
VietJet commanders earn between US$8,000 per month to US$12,000 per month, or US$96,000 to US$144,000 yearly. Their salaries are significantly lower than that of its supposed competition, VN, but that is due to factors like fewer flying hours in a month if compared to the rival’s operations to cities in Europe as well as Oceania.
VietJet’s fleet is dominated by over 100 Airbus A320 family aircraft and seven Airbus A330-300s. The carrier has over 300 airplanes on order and will soon branch out of its Airbus dominant model, thanks to nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX planes expected soon alongside the state-of-the-art A330 model, the Airbus A330-900.
Photo: VietJet AirBenefits VietJet Air Pilots enjoy
Besides a competitive salary at a low-cost operator by global standards, VietJet Air pilots are entitled to the following benefits.
- CAREER PROGRESSION – An internal opportunity model adopted from its full-service competitor, Vietnam Airlines – VietJet also offers its captains the chance to secure senior positions within the company as line trainers and instructors.
- ACCOMMODATION – Apart from the hotels that are provided on layover, VietJet pilots based in its operating bases are also provided with housing by the airline although that is subject to the decision of each individual employee.
- EXTRA ALLOWANCES – Besides basics like layover allowances and meal allowances, VJ pilots are provided communication allowances abroad to mitigate spending on international charges, as well as a seniority allowance meant for the welfare of crew when on duty.
- TRAVEL BENEFITS – The captains and their family members are entitled to free travel across the VietJet Air network throughout the year. There is no limit on how many tickets can be available by the nominees of the employee.
Photo: VietJet AirVietnam Captain Salary FAQs
Vietnamese airlines pay captains between US$96,000 to US$216,000 per year depending on carrier model, flying hours, and experience.
Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air captains are based in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, primarily, although the latter requires some individuals to operate from Da Nang, Hai Phong, and Nha Trang as well.
Yes, Vietnam is one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets and has an abundance of opportunities for expatriate pilots.
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