Air Force Pilots and Technicians Receive Significant Pay Raise

Pilots and technicians of the Hungarian Air Force have received a significant salary increase, Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky announced on Saturday.

The Ministry of Defense quoted the minister as saying that the pilots of the Hungarian Air Force are among the best and deserve special moral and material appreciation in an age of danger. “Their knowledge and service are crucial to the security of Hungary. That is why we have decided to give them a significant pay raise, retroactive to December,” Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky explained.

According to the statement,

the salary increase will affect fighter pilots, transport and training pilots, transport and combat helicopter pilots, as well as flight technicians and forward air controllers.

The increased wages were paid to the affected persons in the first days of March. They added that the most experienced pilots’ salaries could rise from an average of HUF 1.5 million (EUR 3,802) to HUF 2 million (EUR 5,069), or HUF 3 million (EUR 7,603), depending on their rank, years of flying service, and skill.

The minister also said that

increased security risks have posed new challenges for Hungary and have reinforced the commitment for the need of a modern, capable force.”

Hungary also performs airspace policing tasks for other countries in NATO and the V4 (Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland), thus Hungarian Gripen aircraft are involved in protecting the airspace of Slovenia and Slovakia in addition to the Baltic States, thus strengthening Europe’s security. The development of air transport and helicopter capabilities are also of paramount importance for the Hungarian Defense Forces, both in the domestic and international environment.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky stressed that “the training of the personnel concerned has reached a new level, most of them already have Combat Ready qualification.”

According to the Ministry of Defense, the pilots of the Szentgyörgyi Dezső 101st Airborne Brigade of the Hungarian Defense Forces in Kecskemét (central Hungary), who work with the JAS-39 Gripen multirole fighter, the Airbus A319 transport aircraft, and the Dassault Falcon 7X long-distance courier, receive a monthly gross salary between HUF 2 and HUF 3 million.

The pilots of the Airbus H145M light multi-purpose helicopter, the Airbus H225M helicopter, the Mi-24 combat helicopter, the AS-350 training helicopter, and the Zlin training aircraft, all of which are used by the staff of the Kiss József 86th Helicopter Brigade of of the Hungarian Defense Forces in Szolnok (central Hungary), will receive a monthly gross salary around HUF 2.5 million (EUR 6,335).

The ministry noted that when the soldiers of the Hungarian Defense Forces receive their salaries in March, they will be increased by an average of 11 percent, and the pay raise will be retroactive until January. The first part of the government’s two-stage, significant salary increase was implemented in September 2022, with an average rate of 26.4 percent.

This year, there will be an average salary increase of 12 percent for enlisted personnel, 11 percent for non-commissioned officers, and 10 percent for officers.

Via MTI; Featured image via honvedelem.hu