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Average Aircraft Captain Salary in Brazil for 2026

An aircraft captain in Brazil earns about 174,000 BRL a year. That's 72% above the national average of 101,120 BRL.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Brazil sit around 83,900 BRL a year, while the very top stretches to 275,200 BRL. Everything on this page is in Brazilian real (BRL, symbol R$), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Brazil, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does an aircraft captain make in Brazil?

Average salary
174,000 BRL
14,500 BRL per month
Lowest reported
83,900 BRL
6,991 BRL per month
Highest reported
275,200 BRL
22,933 BRL per month

A typical aircraft captain working in Brazil brings home around 14,500 BRL a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 83,900 BRL, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 275,200 BRL for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior aircraft captain working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How aircraft captain pay ranges in Brazil

A good way to think about salary in Brazil is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all aircraft captains in Brazil earn less than 180,300 BRL a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 119,020 BRL (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 231,000 BRL (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of aircraft captains sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 83,900 BRL. The highest stretch to 275,200 BRL, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

83,900
Low
180,300
Median
275,200
High
119,020
25th
231,000
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BRL

Aircraft captain pay by experience in Brazil

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an aircraft captain in Brazil, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical aircraft captain salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    102,240 BRL
  • 2-5 Years
    +26% from previous
    128,900 BRL
  • 5-10 Years
    +40% from previous
    180,500 BRL
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    221,500 BRL
  • 15-20 Years
    +8% from previous
    238,900 BRL
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    254,800 BRL

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 40%. That is the point at which a aircraft captain typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Aircraft captain pay by education in Brazil

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving aircraft captain pay in Brazil. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average aircraft captain salary in Brazil broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Certificate or Diploma
    128,900 BRL
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +35% from previous
    174,000 BRL
  • Master's Degree
    +55% from previous
    268,900 BRL

Aircraft captain gender pay gap in Brazil

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Brazil is no exception. Male aircraft captains in Brazil earn an average of 181,600 BRL a year, while female aircraft captains earn around 164,200 BRL. That works out to a 11% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Aircraft Captain gender pay gap

10%

Men earn this much more than women on average in Brazil.

Men 181,600 BRL
Women 164,200 BRL

Pay raises for an aircraft captain in Brazil

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in Brazil sees a raise of about 13% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 9% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in Brazil, the national average raise is around 9% every 16 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Brazil:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Aircraft captain bonus rates in Brazil

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

58%

58% of aircraft captains in Brazil reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an aircraft captain a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 42% of aircraft captains reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Brazil

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Aircraft captain: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Brazil is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

7%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Brazil on average.

Public sector 106,500 BRL
Private sector 99,460 BRL

Aircraft captain salary by city in Brazil

Aircraft captain pay is not even across Brazil. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Fortaleza
  • Sao Paulo
  • Brasilia
  • Salvador
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Goiania
  • Manaus
  • Campinas
  • Recife
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Rio de JaneiroCity201,100 BRL216,800 BRL91,960-319,600 BRL
FortalezaCity196,800 BRL192,000 BRL97,900-301,300 BRL
Sao PauloCity192,600 BRL176,800 BRL105,080-288,700 BRL
BrasiliaCity192,000 BRL183,700 BRL97,460-294,700 BRL
SalvadorCity191,600 BRL197,600 BRL96,220-301,600 BRL
Belo HorizonteCity187,300 BRL197,600 BRL86,640-294,700 BRL
GoianiaCity183,700 BRL194,600 BRL84,580-288,700 BRL
ManausCity183,700 BRL192,000 BRL87,060-286,400 BRL
CampinasCity176,800 BRL161,600 BRL96,720-267,100 BRL
RecifeCity175,900 BRL175,900 BRL88,600-273,000 BRL
Sao LuisCity175,900 BRL172,200 BRL92,880-272,800 BRL
CuritibaCity174,000 BRL163,800 BRL91,960-266,000 BRL
BelemCity174,000 BRL189,300 BRL80,800-277,400 BRL
MaceioCity169,000 BRL159,100 BRL88,300-258,400 BRL
Porto AlegreCity169,000 BRL176,800 BRL80,840-265,000 BRL
Joao PessoaCity168,100 BRL180,500 BRL78,160-265,000 BRL
LondrinaCity168,100 BRL168,100 BRL82,720-259,100 BRL
NatalCity163,800 BRL159,500 BRL84,040-253,400 BRL
MacapaCity161,300 BRL152,000 BRL84,880-246,200 BRL
AracajuCity159,500 BRL163,800 BRL79,260-249,600 BRL
TeresinaCity159,100 BRL146,200 BRL86,760-238,900 BRL
SantosCity158,700 BRL158,700 BRL80,180-243,000 BRL
CuiabaCity157,600 BRL164,200 BRL74,060-246,500 BRL
Petrolina and JuazeiroCity152,300 BRL159,400 BRL73,100-239,300 BRL
MaringaCity152,300 BRL151,800 BRL78,160-237,400 BRL
Vale do AcoCity152,100 BRL146,200 BRL78,160-231,000 BRL
VitoriaCity142,300 BRL148,300 BRL69,400-225,300 BRL


Aircraft Captain in Brazil: FAQs

  • How much does an aircraft captain make per month in Brazil?

    An aircraft captain in Brazil earns about 14,500 BRL a month before tax, based on an annual average of 174,000 BRL.

  • What's the salary range for an aircraft captain in Brazil?

    Entry-level aircraft captains in Brazil start near 83,900 BRL. Top-end pay reaches around 275,200 BRL. The middle 50% of earners sit between 119,020 and 231,000 BRL.

  • Is the median aircraft captain salary in Brazil higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 180,300 BRL, higher than the average of 174,000 BRL. Half of aircraft captains in Brazil earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for aircraft captains in Brazil?

    Men working as an aircraft captain in Brazil earn around 11% more than women on average (181,600 vs 164,200 BRL a year).

  • Do aircraft captains in Brazil get bonuses?

    About 58% of aircraft captains in Brazil reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do aircraft captains earn more in the public or private sector in Brazil?

    In Brazil, the public sector pays an aircraft captain about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do aircraft captains in Brazil get a pay raise?

    An aircraft captain in Brazil sees a raise of around 13% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.