Nearly 900 South Korean Air Force Pilots Left for Civilian Airlines in Decade

SEOUL, May 3 (Yonhap) -- Almost 900 Air Force pilots have left the armed forces for better-paying jobs with civilian airlines over the past decade, data showed Sunday. According to a report submitted by the Air Force to People Power Party Rep. Kang Dae-sik, a member of the parliamentary subcommittee on national defense, 896 "skilled" Air Force pilots opted for voluntary discharge from 2017 to March 2026. The Air Force defines skilled pilots as those with between eight and 17 years of experience and with an ability to conduct operations on their own and to train younger and lower-ranked pilots. The report said 730 fighter pilots left, followed by 148 cargo pilots and 18 rotary-wing pilots. Of the pilots, 622 joined Korean Air, South Korea's flag carrier, while 146 went to work for Asiana Airlines, the country's second-largest carrier, which has merged with Korean Air. Another 103 pilots joined budget carriers. About 100 pilots used to leave the Air Force for the civilian sector annually in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then in 2021, only seven Air Force pilots opted for civilian careers as global air traffic plunged. The number has been on a steady increase in the ensuing years, with 47 leaving the Air Force for airlines through March this year. To prevent a mass exodus of pilots, the Air Force has imposed a mandatory service period on pilots -- 15 years for Air Force Academy graduates who fly fighter jets or cargo planes, and 10 years for those who did not graduate from the military academy. On average, skilled pilots out of the Air Force Academy who have chosen civilian careers have served 15.2 years -- in other words, leaving almost as soon as they fulfill their mandatory service period. According to a 2025 survey by the Air Force, a wage gap between Air Force and commercial pilots, high risks associated with military jobs, and stress from constant emergency standbys were cited as reasons for choosing civilian airlines.