The demand for pilots among domestic carriers in China have been describes as “unlimited”. Many pilots are being reported as being “bombarded with offers” regularly. These airlines are offering significantly high packages to lure foreign pilots to work for various carriers with perks like covering income taxes. So why do the Chinese Airlines have such a high demand?

According to Airbus Group SE, air traffic over China is set to quadruple over the next two decades. In fact, their new forecast entitled “Mapping Demand”, anticipates that air traffic will grow at 4.5% annually. Although recruits wanting to live outside of China are offered a little bit less, the offers are still exceptionally high, along with signing bonuses, overtime pay, and contract-completion payouts. In comparison, the average annual salary for senior pilots as major US Airlines is $209,000.

One Bloomberg report claimed China needs to hire 100 pilots a week over the next two decades to meet the demand. Currently, Korea is the biggest source for airline pilots for Chinese Airlines. So, if you don’t mind moving, you could possibly take advantage of an exceptionally large offer. China is now the world’s fastest growing aviation market. US aircraft maker Boeing estimates China’s commercial airplane fleet will nearly triple to 7,210 planes over the next 20 years. That’s a demand for over 100,000 pilots!

Sources:
http://www.airbus.com/company/market/global-market-forecast-2016-2035/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-17/chinese-airlines-lure-expat-pilots-with-lucrative-pay-perks