How to become an aircraft pilot or related associate professional

Official title: Aircraft pilots and related associate professionals

Also called: Aerial crop sprayer, Flight engineer, Flying instructor, Navigator (flight), Pilot (aircraft)

Aircraft pilots and related associate professionals control the operation of mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment, in order to navigate aircraft for transporting passengers, mail and freight and perform related pre-flight and in-flight tasks.

Main tasks

• Flying and navigating aircraft in accordance with established control and operating procedures
• Preparing and submitting flight plans or examining standard flight plans
• Controlling the operation of mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment and ensuring that all instruments and controls work properly
• Applying knowledge of principles and practices of flying in order to identify and solve problems arising in the course of their work
• Examining maintenance records and conducting inspections to ensure that aircraft are mechanically sound, maintenance has been performed and that all equipment is operational
• Signing necessary certificates and maintaining official records of flight
• Obtaining briefings and clearances before flights and maintaining contact with air traffic or flight control during flight

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: HK$27,000 a month
• About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Air traffic controllers
• Ships' deck officers and pilots
• Ships' engineers
• Air traffic safety electronics technicians

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become an aircraft pilot or related associate professional?

Not always. 41% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of an aircraft pilot or related associate professional?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026