With employment in the aviation industry yet to fully recover, airlines in Thailand are adopting pay-to-fly employment schemes, which require licensed pilots to pay more than 1.5 million baht for training to secure jobs.
Yet the average salary of pilots in Thailand remains lower than before Covid-19 as airline fleets are below pre-pandemic levels. The situation would be even tougher for student pilots who do not have enough experience to compete with veteran pilots.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Asia-Pacific aviation had a slower recovery than the rest of the world last year, but with China's reopening at the beginning of 2023, the recovery year has been accelerated from 2025 to 2024.
However, amid a surplus of pilots in the aviation industry in Thailand, some airlines in the country have added pay-to-fly schemes to their recruitment programme for pilots who want to start new jobs with them, but are required to pass the training first to have their skills compatible for the type of aircraft that those airlines are utilising.
Damrong Phaspipatkul, head of flight operations at Thai AirAsia, said even though Thai AirAsia does not apply this scheme to pilot recruitment as it still provides free training to employees, this type of employment has been seen at a few airlines in Thailand.
He said that instead of using the term "pay-to-fly", this expense should be called a training fee for pilots. This process of recruitment is different from normal practices as airlines usually absorbed this cost by themselves before Covid-19.
However, as pilot costs are relatively high for flight operations, it prompted some airlines to apply this mechanism.
"Airlines adjusted their pilot employment plans differently as each airline has an uneven recovery rate in terms of routes and flights. For airlines that use this scheme, newly employed pilots might be charged a training fee by deducting from their monthly salary or paying back via instalments, in exchange for a long-term contract to guarantee their jobs," said Mr Damrong.
He said that given the aviation business has not fully recovered, it would be difficult for student pilots to get a job this year, especially those who graduated and obtained their licence before the pandemic and did not have sufficient flight hours and "on-type" expertise with the aircraft that airlines are using.
For instance, Thai AirAsia now has 600 active pilots. It still has room to bring back 10-20% of experienced pilots who voluntarily enrolled in the furlough programme during the pandemic without having to look for new pilots.
However, Mr Damrong said that as the aviation industry in Thailand is projected to have more promising growth in the next 1-2 years, pilot employment and their salaries would return to normal, while job opportunities would be open again for student pilots when airlines grow their fleets again.
The establishment of new airlines such as AirAsia Cambodia, which is now recruiting new pilots, will also help absorb unemployed licensed pilots to some extent.
"Every new jet adding to operations will need a number of new pilots. For example, the narrow-body A320 of AirAsia typically needs 10-15 pilots. At present, we fly about 50 aircraft, but we expect to fully utilise the existing fleet soon," said Mr Damrong.
A first officer (FO) in a Thai low-cost carrier who requested anonymity said the pay-to-fly scheme in Thailand has a starting rate of 1.5 million baht.
Despite getting a job, the average income of a full-time pilot at a low-cost carrier in Thailand was still lower than in 2019. For instance, a FO, also known as a co-pilot, would receive no more than 200,000 baht per month, compared to around 280,000 baht before the pandemic.
For pilots who do not want to leave the country to work for international airlines, the scheme is considered worthwhile in securing a job.
However, for student pilots or licensed pilots with no more than 3,000 flight hours, it would be difficult for them to get a job in Thailand. If they would not agree to paying a training fee, moving to other international airlines that offer free training is another career choice for them.
BRAIN DRAIN
This scarcity of pilot jobs and lower salaries in Thailand has prompted many experienced FOs and captains to apply for jobs with international airlines that offer much more competitive salaries and fringe benefits, such as educational expenses for kids.
Mr Damrong said there are a number of pilots from Thailand who decided to move to other countries, especially those in the Middle East which have significantly grown their operations since the pandemic.
He said that during the pandemic, those airlines saved costs by laying off a huge number of staff, including pilots.
When the aviation industry in the region came back strongly with a faster fleet expansion compared to Thailand, demand for pilots also surged, prompting experienced Thai pilots to look for better job opportunities.