A person working as Aircraft Captain in United Arab Emirates typically earns around 25,900 AED. Salaries range from 12,400 AED (lowest) to 40,600 AED (highest).
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Aircraft Captain salaries in United Arab Emirates vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
![]() 12,400 AED |
![]() 24,300 AED |
![]() 40,600 AED |
Salaries for the position Aircraft Captain in United Arab Emirates range from 12,400 AED (starting salary) to 40,600 AED (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.
With a median salary of 24,300 AED, half of the professionals who work as Aircraft Captain in United Arab Emirates earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.
The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Aircraft Captain in United Arab Emirates earn less than 19,800 AED, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 27,900 AED while 25% earn more.
To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Aircraft Captain in United Arab Emirates compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 15,000 AED to 21,300 AED. About 20% of salaries are below the 15,000 AED mark, while 10% fall within the range of 21,300 AED to 24,200 AED. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 24,200 AED.
0 - 2 Years | 14,500 AED | |
2 - 5 Years | +42% | 20,600 AED |
5 - 10 Years | +31% | 27,100 AED |
10 - 15 Years | +23% | 33,300 AED |
15 - 20 Years | +6% | 35,400 AED |
20+ Years | +10% | 38,800 AED |
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Aircraft Captain and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 14,500 AED.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 20,600 AED, 42% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 27,100 AED, 31% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 33,300 AED, 23% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 35,400 AED, 6% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 38,800 AED, 10% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Certificate or Diploma | 18,000 AED | |
Bachelor's Degree | +59% | 28,800 AED |
Master's Degree | +33% | 38,300 AED |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Aircraft Captain in order to make a comparison.
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 18,000 AED.
At this level, the average salary becomes 28,800 AED, 59% more than the previous level.
At this level, the average salary becomes 38,300 AED, 33% more than the previous level.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in United Arab Emirates costs anywhere from 71,700 AED to 215,000 AED and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Aircraft Captain in United Arab Emirates, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 6%.
Male | 26,700 AED | |
Female | -5% | 25,300 AED |
Individuals working as Aircraft Captain in United Arab Emirates are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 12% every 18 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 17 months.
The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
41% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 59% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 59% | |
No Bonus | 41% |
The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Aircraft Captain in United Arab Emirates is 72 AED. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Airlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense | ![]() | |
Aeronautical Engineer | 15,800 AED | ![]() |
Aerospace Engineer | 19,300 AED | ![]() |
Aerospace Technician | 14,500 AED | ![]() |
Air Crew Member | 8,450 AED | ![]() |
Air Crew Officer | 9,400 AED | ![]() |
Air Traffic Assistant | 7,600 AED | ![]() |
Air Traffic Controller | 15,200 AED | ![]() |
Air Traffic Management Automation Engineer | 16,300 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft 3D Printing Technician | 13,800 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Assembler | 6,870 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Body Repairer | 6,090 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Cabin Interior Designer | 15,300 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Captain | 25,900 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Cybersecurity Specialist | 17,600 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Electrician | 7,260 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Electronics Techician | 7,200 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Engineer | 15,700 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Fueler | 6,030 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Maintenance Engineer | 13,400 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Maintenance Manager | 25,100 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor | 14,800 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Maintenance Technician | 6,130 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Mechanic | 6,850 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Pilot | 26,600 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Pneudraulics Repairer | 6,380 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Quality Assurance | 20,100 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Rigging Assembler | 6,740 AED | ![]() |
Aircraft Service Technician | 6,430 AED | ![]() |
Airfield Management Specialist | 22,200 AED | ![]() |
Airfield Operations Specialist | 16,800 AED | ![]() |
Airline Augmented Reality Developer | 13,200 AED | ![]() |
Airline Cabin Crew | 15,200 AED | ![]() |
Airline Copilot | 16,700 AED | ![]() |
Airline Customer Experience Designer | 16,300 AED | ![]() |
Airline Data Analyst | 14,300 AED | ![]() |
Airline Pilot | 27,000 AED | ![]() |
Airlines Sales Director | 29,800 AED | ![]() |
Airlines Sales Manager | 27,900 AED | ![]() |
Airlines Structural Assembler | 5,860 AED | ![]() |
Airport Services Agent | 9,160 AED | ![]() |
Airport Services Manager | 30,000 AED | ![]() |
Airport Services Supervisor | 17,300 AED | ![]() |
Airport Sustainability Manager | 19,700 AED | ![]() |
Assistant Aircraft Mechanic | 5,830 AED | ![]() |
Autonomous Air Taxi Coordinator | 8,530 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Analyst | 20,800 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Biofuel Specialist | 16,700 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Engineer | 15,100 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Inspector | 16,500 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Manager | 30,900 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Operations Controller | 16,300 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Resources Manager | 26,900 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Safety Assistant | 8,280 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Safety Manager | 28,900 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Safety Officer | 15,400 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Security Specialist | 18,500 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Sustainability Consultant | 21,300 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Technician | 6,200 AED | ![]() |
Aviation Training Specialist | 16,800 AED | ![]() |
Cargo and Freight Agent | 5,940 AED | ![]() |
Cargo Executive | 14,300 AED | ![]() |
Chief Pilot | 28,500 AED | ![]() |
Drone Compliance Officer | 15,300 AED | ![]() |
Drone Delivery Specialist | 13,800 AED | ![]() |
Drone Emergency Response Coordinator | 11,800 AED | ![]() |
Drone Engineer | 13,200 AED | ![]() |
Drone Event Coordinator | 12,500 AED | ![]() |
Drone Fleet Manager | 15,300 AED | ![]() |
Drone Geospatial Analyst | 14,500 AED | ![]() |
Drone Infrastructure Engineer | 15,800 AED | ![]() |
Drone Inspection Specialist | 13,700 AED | ![]() |
Drone Inspector | 12,400 AED | ![]() |
Drone Insurance Underwriter | 10,700 AED | ![]() |
Drone Light Show Choreographer | 12,300 AED | ![]() |
Drone Operator / Pilot | 9,830 AED | ![]() |
Drone Payload Specialist | 10,500 AED | ![]() |
Drone Pilot Instructor | 12,200 AED | ![]() |
Drone Security Specialist | 13,000 AED | ![]() |
Drone Software Engineer | 12,500 AED | ![]() |
Drone Surveyor | 10,600 AED | ![]() |
Drone Technician | 8,720 AED | ![]() |
Drone Traffic Controller | 8,670 AED | ![]() |
Drone Traffic Management Specialist | 13,700 AED | ![]() |
Drone Traffic Safety Engineer | 13,400 AED | ![]() |
Drone Videographer | 11,900 AED | ![]() |
First Officer | 10,900 AED | ![]() |
Fleet Controller | 25,300 AED | ![]() |
Fleet Management Officer | 9,580 AED | ![]() |
Flight Attendant | 9,330 AED | ![]() |
Flight Planner | 13,300 AED | ![]() |
Flight Scheduler | 12,000 AED | ![]() |
Flight Simulation Engineer | 13,700 AED | ![]() |
Freight and Cargo Inspector | 9,900 AED | ![]() |
Helicopter Pilot | 16,900 AED | ![]() |
Loading Bridge Operator | 5,320 AED | ![]() |
Pilot | 26,200 AED | ![]() |
Ramp Agent | 5,550 AED | ![]() |
Reservations Sales Agent | 7,590 AED | ![]() |
Safety and Quality Specialist | 15,300 AED | ![]() |
Test Pilot | 18,900 AED | ![]() |
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operator | 10,800 AED | ![]() |
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technician | 10,300 AED | ![]() |
Virtual / Augmented Reality Flight Simulator Designer | 14,400 AED | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in United Arab Emirates is 6% on average across all career fields.
Private Sector | 13,800 AED | |
Public Sector | +6% | 14,700 AED |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 24,300 AED and 27,900 AED. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.
The base salary for a careers like Aircraft Captain in United Arab Emirates ranges from 12,400 AED to 19,800 AED. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary