H-1B Demand for Airline Pilots Surges in FY2025 Amidst High Average Salaries
Explore H-1B visa filings for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. View sponsoring employers, salary data from 100 filings, and approval rates from DOL public records.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total H-1B Petitions | 100 |
| Approval Rate | 95% |
| Average Salary | $260,034 |
| Salary Range | $107,400 - $473,054 |
| Top Sponsor | SkyWest Airlines |
| Primary Location | Georgia |
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is one of the H-1B visa categories with 65 filings and an average salary of $265,784. H-1B hiring for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is heavily concentrated in FY2025, with a significant majority of the available positions posted for this fiscal year. The total number of job postings (265,784) indicates a substantial demand for this role, though the number of unique employers (62) suggests a moderate level of employer diversity. The average salary offered is $246,979, which is considerably higher than the median salary of $107,400, implying a wide range in compensation, likely due to experience and specific airline requirements. The data shows a very low number of positions filled (1), suggesting that the hiring process for these roles might be lengthy or that many postings are recent and yet to be filled.
| Total Filings | 100 |
| Approval Rate | 95% |
| Average Salary | $260,034 |
| Median Salary | $243,360 |
| 25th Percentile | $197,538 |
| 75th Percentile | $350,834 |
| Minimum Salary | $107,400 |
| Maximum Salary | $473,054 |
| 10th Percentile | $166,982 |
| 25th Percentile | $197,538 |
| Median (50th) | $243,360 |
| 75th Percentile | $350,834 |
| 90th Percentile | $367,474 |
| Average | $260,034 |
| Sample Size | 100 |
| Education Level | Filings |
|---|---|
| Not Specified | 100 |
| Employer | Filings | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines | 26 | $269k |
| Frontier Airlines | 14 | $300k |
| JetSelect, LLC | 10 | $177k |
| Atlas Air, Inc. | 9 | $210k |
| GOJET AIRLINES LLC | 8 | $320k |
| PSA Airlines, Inc. | 7 | $351k |
| Mesa Airlines, Inc. | 5 | $327k |
| Kalitta Air, LLC | 4 | $243k |
| CommuteAir LLC | 2 | $166k |
| Aviation Consultants, Inc. | 2 | $225k |
| State | Filings |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 14 |
| Colorado | 14 |
| Illinois | 13 |
| Florida | 12 |
| Missouri | 8 |
| Texas | 7 |
| Arizona | 6 |
| North Carolina | 5 |
| Virginia | 4 |
| Michigan | 4 |
Focus on demonstrating extensive experience and specialized certifications to align with the high average salaries and potentially complex hiring requirements for H-1B pilot roles.
The average H-1B salary for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is $265,784, with a median of $246,979. The 25th-75th percentile range is $200,000 to $339,643.
Top H-1B sponsors for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers include SkyWest Airlines, Frontier Airlines, PSA Airlines, Inc., Allegiant Air, LLC, JetSelect, LLC. A total of 20 employers have filed for this role.
There are 65 H-1B filings on record for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions. 95.4% were certified.
The top states for H-1B Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions are Florida (11), Georgia (9), Illinois (8), Colorado (7), Ohio (5).
Yes, Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is a qualifying occupation for H-1B visa sponsorship. There are 65 approved H-1B petitions for this role in the database.
H-1B Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salaries range from $107,400 to $473,054. The median salary is $246,979.
The approval rate for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers H-1B petitions is 95.4%. The overwhelming majority of H-1B postings (64 out of 65) are for FY2025, indicating a strong, immediate need or a strategic hiring push for the upcoming fiscal year.
The disparity between the average salary ($246,979) and the median salary ($107,400) is striking, pointing towards highly compensated senior roles or specialized positions driving up the average.
Focus on demonstrating extensive experience and specialized certifications to align with the high average salaries and potentially complex hiring requirements for H-1B pilot roles.
With 265,784 job postings, the sheer volume suggests a robust market for these aviation professionals.
The Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers occupation (SOC code 53-201100) is classified under the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system maintained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The SOC system groups workers into occupational categories based on the type of work performed, providing a standardized framework for comparing wages, employment levels, and workforce trends across the United States.
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions fall within the specialty occupation category required for H-1B visa sponsorship, meaning they typically require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and at minimum a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in the specific specialty. Based on H-1B filing data, the most common education requirement for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions is Not Specified (100 filings), followed by other degree levels.
Across 100 LCA filings tracked by H1BSalaryCheck, Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions show an average offered salary of $260,034, with a range from $107,400 at the entry level to $473,054 for senior positions. The largest concentration of H-1B filings for this role is in Georgia (14 filings) and Colorado (14 filings).
Career outlook for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers professionals is closely tied to industry demand for specialized skills. Employers sponsoring H-1B workers for this role are demonstrating that they could not find sufficient qualified U.S. workers to fill these positions, which often signals strong demand and competitive compensation. Workers in this occupation may also be eligible for other visa categories including L-1 intracompany transfers, O-1 extraordinary ability visas, or employment-based green card sponsorship through the PERM process.
To sponsor a foreign worker for an H-1B visa in a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers role, U.S. employers must satisfy several requirements established by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and enforced by both the Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS):
The position must qualify as a "specialty occupation," meaning it requires the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and at minimum a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in a specific specialty directly related to the position. For Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers roles, H-1B filings indicate that employers most commonly require a Not Specified degree. USCIS evaluates whether the position itself, not just the employer's preference, genuinely requires specialized education.
Employers must pay H-1B workers at least the prevailing wage for the occupation in the geographic area of employment, as determined by the DOL. The prevailing wage is based on four skill levels (Level 1 through Level 4) that reflect the complexity of the job duties and required experience. For Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions, the average offered salary of $260,034 exceeds prevailing wages by an average of 9.3%, with 30% of filings offering above the prevailing wage.
Before filing the H-1B petition, employers must obtain a certified LCA from the DOL. The LCA requires employers to attest to four conditions: (1) paying at least the prevailing wage or actual wage, whichever is higher; (2) providing working conditions that do not adversely affect similarly employed U.S. workers; (3) no strike or lockout at the worksite; and (4) proper notice of the filing to workers. The overall LCA approval rate for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions is 95%.
The annual H-1B cap is set at 65,000 regular visas plus 20,000 for beneficiaries with U.S. master's degrees or higher (the "master's cap"). Certain employers, including institutions of higher education, nonprofit research organizations, and government research organizations, are exempt from the cap. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions at cap-exempt employers can be filed at any time during the year, while cap-subject employers must participate in the annual H-1B lottery, typically held in March for the following fiscal year.
H-1B visas are initially granted for up to three years and can be extended for a maximum of six years total. Workers who have an approved I-140 immigrant petition (part of the green card process) may be eligible for extensions beyond the six-year limit under the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act (AC21). The average contract duration for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers H-1B filings is approximately 24 months.
Cities with the most H-1B filings for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions.
| City | State | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Georgia | 14 |
| Denver | Colorado | 14 |
| Chicago | Illinois | 13 |
| Miami | Florida | 9 |
| Bridgeton | Missouri | 7 |
| Arlington | Virginia | 4 |
| Charlotte | North Carolina | 4 |
| Phoenix | Arizona | 4 |
| Ypsilanti | Michigan | 4 |
| Austin | Texas | 3 |