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Aviation (pilots)

Specialised college
You study
Air navigation, Meteorology
Jobs
Pilot, First officer
Average for the services field · Age 25–29
Sample too small

For the services field in the Labour Force Survey3.

Forecasts published in other countries for the occupation Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors: leaning to growth (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH); Employment and Social Development Canada, June 2025 · Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 – Muharram 1447 AH)1,2. They are not a forecast for the Saudi market, nor by DataPulse.

What do Aviation (pilots) students learn?

Flight training at aviation academies after high school.

  • Air navigation
  • Meteorology
  • Aircraft systems
  • Simulator training

In Arabic: الطيران (قيادة الطائرات)

What jobs do Aviation (pilots) graduates do?

Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:

  • Pilot
  • First officer
  • Flight instructor
  • Cargo pilot

A pilot's hours are not fixed, with night flights and much time away from home.

  • Mixed
  • Shifts and nights often
  • Lots of travel

Licence from the General Authority of Civil Aviation.

What do Aviation (pilots) graduates earn?

GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Services” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.

Age 25–29Sample too small
Age 35–44Sample too small

What is unemployment in the services field?

Unemployment among Saudi graduates of the field (bachelor’s, all ages)3:

  • 20211442–1443 AH6.0%
  • 20221443–1444 AH5.8%
  • 20231444–1445 AH5.2%
  • 20241445–1446 AH5.2%

For the whole field, not this major alone. Past measurement, not a forecast.

Official decisions and signals

  • Co-pilot, air traffic controller and flight dispatcher jobs are 100% Saudi; airline pilots 70%. in force since March 2024 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1445 AH) (binds firms, not individuals)4
  • The job “Pilot” is little affected by AI. May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) (occupation, not major)5
  • Target: 330 million air passengers and a top-10 world ranking in logistics by 2030. in force since December 2030 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1452 AH) (announced target)6

Related majors

All majors in Security, aviation and transport · Labour-market figures for all fields
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References

  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers” (BLS 53-2011), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
  2. Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors” (COPS 72600), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
  3. General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Services”, 2024 (1445–1446 AH).
  4. Ministry of Human Resources, 22 June 2022 (23 Dhu al-Qa'dah 1443 AH).
  5. International Labour Organization · occupation code 3153, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
  6. Saudi Vision 2030, 19 June 2026 (4 Muharram 1448 AH).