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Average Licensed Aircraft Engineer Salary in China for 2026

A licensed aircraft engineer in China earns about 340,400 CNY a year. That's 3% roughly in line with the national average of 351,900 CNY.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in China sit around 161,600 CNY a year, while the very top stretches to 533,000 CNY. Everything on this page is in Chinese yuan (CNY, symbol ¥), 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 China, 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 a licensed aircraft engineer make in China?

Average salary
340,400 CNY
28,366 CNY per month
Lowest reported
161,600 CNY
13,466 CNY per month
Highest reported
533,000 CNY
44,416 CNY per month

A typical licensed aircraft engineer working in China brings home around 28,366 CNY a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 161,600 CNY, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 533,000 CNY 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 licensed aircraft engineer 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 licensed aircraft engineer pay ranges in China

A good way to think about salary in China is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all licensed aircraft engineers in China earn less than 353,600 CNY 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 232,400 CNY (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 462,300 CNY (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of licensed aircraft engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 161,600 CNY. The highest stretch to 533,000 CNY, 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.

161,600
Low
353,600
Median
533,000
High
232,400
25th
462,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in CNY

Licensed aircraft engineer pay by experience in China

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a licensed aircraft engineer in China, 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 licensed aircraft engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    192,000 CNY
  • 2-5 Years
    +42% from previous
    272,800 CNY
  • 5-10 Years
    +31% from previous
    357,300 CNY
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    436,200 CNY
  • 15-20 Years
    +7% from previous
    464,900 CNY
  • 20+ Years
    +10% from previous
    510,300 CNY

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a licensed aircraft engineer 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.

Licensed aircraft engineer pay by education in China

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving licensed aircraft engineer pay in China. 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 licensed aircraft engineer salary in China broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    301,800 CNY
  • Master's Degree
    +42% from previous
    430,000 CNY

Licensed aircraft engineer gender pay gap in China

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and China is no exception. Male licensed aircraft engineers in China earn an average of 354,000 CNY a year, while female licensed aircraft engineers earn around 332,500 CNY. That works out to a 6% 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.

Licensed Aircraft Engineer gender pay gap

6%

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

Men 354,000 CNY
Women 332,500 CNY

Pay raises for a licensed aircraft engineer in China

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 China sees a raise of about 12% every 16 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 China, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in China:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education
    2%

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

Licensed aircraft engineer bonus rates in China

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 licensed aircraft engineers in China reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a licensed aircraft engineer 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 licensed aircraft engineers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in China

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

Licensed aircraft engineer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in China is about 6% 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

6%

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

Public sector 362,200 CNY
Private sector 341,400 CNY

Licensed aircraft engineer salary by city and region in China

Licensed aircraft engineer pay is not even across China. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Beijing (city)
  • Henan
  • Sichuan
  • Hangzhou
  • Guangdong
  • Shanghai (city)
  • Chongqing (city)
  • Hubei
  • Wuhan
  • Xi an
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Beijing (city)City386,400 CNY386,400 CNY191,600-598,600 CNY
HenanRegion384,200 CNY388,100 CNY187,300-596,800 CNY
SichuanRegion384,200 CNY396,300 CNY183,700-598,600 CNY
HangzhouCity383,300 CNY351,900 CNY207,800-574,200 CNY
GuangdongRegion377,200 CNY361,500 CNY195,200-576,500 CNY
Shanghai (city)City376,800 CNY376,800 CNY187,300-581,000 CNY
Chongqing (city)City369,900 CNY397,900 CNY172,200-587,800 CNY
HubeiRegion369,300 CNY392,300 CNY172,200-585,900 CNY
WuhanCity369,300 CNY369,300 CNY185,100-575,100 CNY
Xi anCity366,200 CNY394,300 CNY167,100-580,600 CNY
ZhejiangRegion366,200 CNY386,400 CNY172,200-576,500 CNY
ShandongRegion365,400 CNY335,100 CNY195,200-547,800 CNY
JiangsuRegion365,400 CNY348,300 CNY190,500-555,800 CNY
GuangzhouCity363,000 CNY378,800 CNY174,000-571,300 CNY
ShenyangCity357,700 CNY384,500 CNY163,800-566,900 CNY
Tianjin (city)City357,700 CNY363,000 CNY174,000-559,000 CNY
LiaoningRegion357,300 CNY384,500 CNY163,800-565,100 CNY
HebeiRegion357,300 CNY335,100 CNY189,300-541,700 CNY
FujianRegion352,000 CNY369,300 CNY163,800-553,800 CNY
YunnanRegion352,000 CNY357,700 CNY172,200-548,800 CNY
AnhuiRegion352,000 CNY330,700 CNY187,500-531,700 CNY
GuangxiRegion351,200 CNY351,200 CNY176,800-545,300 CNY
HarbinCity349,300 CNY335,100 CNY181,600-531,700 CNY
HunanRegion348,300 CNY320,500 CNY189,300-525,700 CNY
JinanCity345,100 CNY330,900 CNY180,500-528,500 CNY
NanjingCity345,100 CNY340,000 CNY176,800-533,100 CNY
JiangxiRegion345,100 CNY345,100 CNY172,400-533,000 CNY
ChengduCity344,600 CNY325,600 CNY183,700-524,300 CNY
SuzhouCity344,600 CNY367,900 CNY161,600-548,800 CNY
ShaanxiRegion341,400 CNY361,500 CNY159,500-538,600 CNY
QingdaoCity340,400 CNY367,200 CNY158,700-539,700 CNY
ShantouCity340,000 CNY325,600 CNY176,800-518,300 CNY
GuizhouRegion327,300 CNY341,400 CNY159,100-518,300 CNY
ShanxiRegion325,800 CNY325,800 CNY161,300-501,400 CNY
HeilongjiangRegion325,600 CNY318,800 CNY164,200-500,100 CNY
ChangchunCity322,600 CNY322,600 CNY161,300-502,200 CNY
ShenzhenCity322,600 CNY335,800 CNY154,700-504,500 CNY
Chongqing (region)Region322,600 CNY327,300 CNY159,100-501,400 CNY
JilinRegion320,500 CNY335,100 CNY154,700-504,300 CNY
WenzhouCity320,500 CNY327,800 CNY158,700-502,200 CNY
FoshanCity318,800 CNY318,800 CNY159,400-493,000 CNY
DongguanCity313,700 CNY301,600 CNY163,800-483,400 CNY
Tianjin (region)Region308,900 CNY330,900 CNY142,300-489,600 CNY
HainanRegion305,600 CNY327,300 CNY138,800-485,300 CNY
ChangshaCity301,300 CNY317,700 CNY142,300-478,100 CNY
Shanghai (region)Region299,500 CNY283,700 CNY154,700-455,400 CNY
Nei MonggolRegion299,500 CNY279,400 CNY158,700-453,200 CNY
GansuRegion297,000 CNY273,000 CNY159,500-451,000 CNY
XiamenCity297,000 CNY294,700 CNY152,000-460,500 CNY
DalianCity297,000 CNY322,600 CNY137,400-472,100 CNY
QuanzhouCity294,700 CNY313,700 CNY136,100-464,900 CNY
Beijing (region)Region294,700 CNY290,800 CNY152,100-455,400 CNY
ZhengzhouCity294,300 CNY294,300 CNY148,300-455,400 CNY
WuxiCity292,000 CNY279,400 CNY152,100-444,300 CNY
FuzhouCity290,800 CNY294,700 CNY142,300-450,300 CNY
KunmingCity290,800 CNY275,500 CNY151,800-442,300 CNY
Xinjiang UygurRegion288,700 CNY275,200 CNY152,300-440,200 CNY
QinghaiRegion286,400 CNY294,700 CNY138,800-447,700 CNY
NingxiaRegion282,500 CNY277,400 CNY146,200-436,200 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]Region275,500 CNY272,800 CNY142,300-428,400 CNY

Licensed Aircraft Engineer in China: FAQs

  • How much does a licensed aircraft engineer make per month in China?

    A licensed aircraft engineer in China earns about 28,366 CNY a month before tax, based on an annual average of 340,400 CNY.

  • What's the salary range for a licensed aircraft engineer in China?

    Entry-level licensed aircraft engineers in China start near 161,600 CNY. Top-end pay reaches around 533,000 CNY. The middle 50% of earners sit between 232,400 and 462,300 CNY.

  • Is the median licensed aircraft engineer salary in China higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 353,600 CNY, higher than the average of 340,400 CNY. Half of licensed aircraft engineers in China earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for licensed aircraft engineers in China?

    Men working as a licensed aircraft engineer in China earn around 6% more than women on average (354,000 vs 332,500 CNY a year).

  • Do licensed aircraft engineers in China get bonuses?

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

  • Do licensed aircraft engineers earn more in the public or private sector in China?

    In China, the public sector pays a licensed aircraft engineer about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do licensed aircraft engineers in China get a pay raise?

    A licensed aircraft engineer in China sees a raise of around 12% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.