Role Snapshot

ANZSCO Code: 231111 — Airline Pilot
Role Variants: Airline First Officer, Captain, Charter Pilot, Regional Turboprop Captain, FIFO/Mining Charter Pilot, Agricultural (Ag) Pilot, Helicopter Pilot, Instructor
Parent Category: AU Aviation Roles
Skill Level: 1
Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL): Yes — Airline Pilot is on the CSOL, enabling employer-sponsored entry via the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa — Subclass 482. Airline and charter operators commonly sponsor overseas pilots on this pathway.
Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL): Yes — enabling access to points-based independent pathways (189, 190, 491). Requires VETASSESS assessment and Expression of Interest (EOI) via SkillSelect.
Skills Assessment Body: VETASSESS (for visa points purposes; the operational requirement is a CASA CPL or ATPL)

🇳🇿Also available for New ZealandPilot Roles in New ZealandNZQA · Skill Shortage→

Australia has one of the world’s most active charter and regional aviation markets outside of North America. The Qantas Group, Virgin Australia, and Rex are consistently recruiting to backfill retirements and support fleet expansion. FIFO mining aviation in Western Australia and Queensland creates significant demand for turboprop and turbine helicopter pilots, with roster-based employment structures that offer strong remuneration packages. Agricultural aviation — crop spraying and mustering — is a substantial sector in its own right. For experienced overseas pilots with current ratings and a CASA licence conversion in progress, Australia offers a genuinely broad range of employment options across airline, charter, corporate, and specialist operations.

• Operating commercial aircraft as Pilot in Command (Captain) or First Officer on scheduled, charter, or FIFO operations
• Conducting pre-flight inspections, fuel planning, weight and balance calculations, and flight plan filing
• Managing crew resource management (CRM) and standard operating procedures in normal, abnormal, and emergency operations
• Maintaining currency on aircraft type ratings and instrument flying requirements
• Completing post-flight documentation, defect reports, and sector analysis
• For FIFO and charter operations: coordinating with ground handling, fuel suppliers, and remote strip management
• For agricultural operations: applying chemicals at prescribed rates and managing application equipment systems
• Maintaining CASA medical currency and ongoing recurrent training requirements

Typical employers: Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Rex (Regional Express), Alliance Airlines, Cobham Aviation Services, CHC Helicopters, Toll Aviation, HeliSpirit, Aerial Agriculture, charter companies across all states, flying training organisations.

Salary Benchmark

Typical Range: $55,000 – $350,000+ AUD per year. The range is extremely wide and is driven by aircraft type, seniority, employer, and whether the role is roster-based FIFO or metropolitan airline. Allowances, per diem, and roster provisions add significantly to base salary in many airline and charter employment structures.

• Junior First Officer (regional turboprop): $60,000–$80,000
• Jet First Officer (major airline): $100,000–$145,000
• Captain (major airline, narrow-body): $200,000–$280,000
• Captain (wide-body / long-haul): $280,000–$350,000+
• Charter / FIFO turboprop Captain: $95,000–$135,000

Source: SEEK AU — Pilot Salary | Hays Salary Guide AU 2026 | Data reviewed May 2026

FIFO and allowance structures: Roster-based FIFO charter operations in WA and QLD typically include per diem, camp accommodation, and transport allowances in addition to base salary. For turboprop and turbine helicopter pilots, total remuneration packages in FIFO operations can be materially higher than the base salary number alone. Evaluate offers on total package, not base salary only.

Cost of living: For an independent comparison, see Numbeo — Australia. TEFI provides clients with a detailed financial planning workbook to model living costs by city and lifestyle — ask Tate for a copy.

Where Demand Is Strongest

• Sydney & Melbourne — Primary bases for Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia mainline operations. The largest concentration of airline pilot vacancies in Australia. Wide-body and narrow-body jet First Officer and Captain roles are predominantly based here.
• Brisbane, QLD — Alliance Airlines base; growing Virgin Australia and Rex presence. Charter operations serving QLD’s resources and tourism sectors. Brisbane is also a gateway for QLD mining aviation FIFO operations.
• Perth, WA — FIFO mining aviation hub. CHC Helicopters, Cobham Aviation, and multiple smaller charter operators service WA’s resource sector with turboprop and turbine helicopter rosters. Highest demand nationally for pilots open to FIFO structures.
• Darwin, NT — Regional and charter operations serving remote NT communities. Toll Aviation and charter operators provide scheduled and charter services. Darwin also supports military aviation training.
• Regional WA and QLD — Bush flying, remote strip operations, and agricultural aviation (crop spraying, mustering) across both states. Ag aviation is a sector in its own right and provides a distinct career pathway for pilots seeking variety over airline seniority progression.

Licensing & Professional Registration

A CASA Air Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) or Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) is required to fly commercially in Australian airspace. This is the primary operational credential — you cannot be employed as a pilot in Australia without it.

Licence conversion for overseas pilots:

• Overseas licence holders from ICAO-compliant regulatory systems (NZCAA, EASA, FAA, CAA UK, and equivalents) apply to CASA for licence conversion
• CASA assesses total flying hours, aircraft type ratings, and instrument ratings; credit is given for overseas experience and ratings against Australian requirements
• CASA issues a provisional licence during the conversion process, which allows employment while the full conversion is completed — many employers will hire with a provisional licence in progress
• Full conversion details at casa.gov.au under Pilot licences

Medical requirements:

• ATPL holders require a CASA Class 1 medical, issued by a CASA Designated Aviation Medical Examiner (DAME)
• CPL holders require at minimum a Class 1 or Class 2 medical depending on the operation type
• Confirming that your current medical is transferable — or arranging a DAME appointment — should be resolved alongside the licence conversion, not after it

Type ratings: Commercial airline positions are type-specific. Having a current type rating on a variant operated by your target employer is a significant advantage. If you do not hold an Australian-relevant type rating, employers will typically factor in type conversion costs when making offers — some will fund conversion for the right candidate; others will not.

Immigration Pathway

Skills assessment required: Yes — VETASSESS for ANZSCO 231111 Airline Pilot (for visa points purposes). The CASA CPL or ATPL is the separate and primary operational credential required to fly commercially in Australia.

Visa options:

• Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa — Subclass 482 (Medium-Term Stream) — Employer sponsor required. Airline and charter operators commonly sponsor overseas pilots through this pathway. Duration: up to 4 years.
  Home Affairs — TSS Visa 482
• Skilled Independent Visa — Subclass 189 — Points-based, no sponsor required. Permanent residence directly. Requires VETASSESS assessment and EOI via SkillSelect.
  Home Affairs — Skilled Independent 189
• Skilled Nominated Visa — Subclass 190 — State nomination, points-based, permanent residence. Requires VETASSESS assessment and EOI via SkillSelect.
  Home Affairs — Skilled Nominated 190
• Skilled Work Regional Visa — Subclass 491 — Regional Australia, 5-year temporary visa with PR pathway. Relevant for pilots targeting FIFO charter, regional airlines, or ag aviation outside major cities. Requires VETASSESS assessment and EOI via SkillSelect.
  Home Affairs — Skilled Work Regional 491

Important: TEFI does not provide immigration advice. We recommend working with a registered Australian migration agent. We refer clients to New Zealand Shores — contact Fabien Maisonneuve at Fabien@newzealandshores.com and mention Tate sent you.

Migrant Readiness Signals

• CASA licence conversion initiated before approaching employers: Australian airlines and charter operators will not hire without a CASA licence or at minimum a confirmed conversion application in progress — this is the single most important action to take first, before updating your CV or applying for roles
• Total hours and type ratings clearly documented in ICAO standard log format: AU operators hire on hours and type; the log book summary on your CV must be immediately readable — total hours, Pilot in Command hours, multi-engine instrument hours, and each type rating with PIC hours on type, listed clearly
• CASA Class 1 medical status confirmed or in progress: A current CASA Class 1 medical from an AU Designated Aviation Medical Examiner (DAME) — or written confirmation that your current medical is transferable — should be resolved alongside the licence conversion to avoid delays at the offer stage
• Airline vs charter vs ag aviation preference clearly communicated: These are very different employment cultures, roster structures, career progression paths, and lifestyle trade-offs; knowing what you want and articulating it clearly signals maturity and self-awareness to AU recruiters
• FIFO roster familiarity noted for WA and QLD charter roles: WA and QLD mining aviation employers specifically want pilots who understand and have genuinely considered FIFO roster structures — if you are open to FIFO, flag it explicitly and explain why; it removes the most common reason operators discount overseas applicants for these roles

Where to Find Roles

• SEEK AU — search: “Pilot”, “First Officer”, “Captain”, “Charter Pilot”, “Turboprop Captain”. Filter by WA for FIFO roles; national searches for airline positions
• LinkedIn — follow Qantas, Jetstar, Rex, Virgin Australia, Alliance Airlines, Cobham Aviation, CHC Helicopters; LinkedIn is active for pilot networking and is used by recruiters to source candidates ahead of formal advertising
• AFAP (Australian Federation of Air Pilots) — AFAP’s job board and member network; AFAP membership opens access to the professional pilot community and employment-related communications from major operators
• AvCrews — specialist aviation crew recruitment board; active for charter, FIFO, and regional pilot roles not always appearing on general boards
• Aviation specialist recruiters — AeroProfessional and Altus Aviation both maintain active pilot candidate databases and place pilots with AU operators regularly; registering with both is a useful parallel track to direct applications

Direct to employer: For major operators, direct applications through corporate career pages are standard. Qantas and Virgin Australia run structured pilot recruitment programmes with defined entry criteria. For charter and FIFO operators — Cobham, CHC, Toll Aviation — direct contact through their careers pages alongside an AVCREWS or recruiter registration is the most effective combined approach.

A note on cold applications: Australian aviation is a community where your logbook speaks before your CV does. Pilots with current hours, relevant type ratings, and a CASA conversion in progress will consistently shortlist above candidates who cannot answer the hours and type question immediately. If you’re unsure how to present your flying background for the Australian market, upload your CV for no-cost, practical feedback — Tate typically responds within one business day.