A pilot climbs the ladder to the cockpit of an KF-16 for joint Freedom Flag air drills with the United States in Gwangju on April 23. Courtesy of Air Force
Hundreds of veteran Air Force pilots have left the military for commercial airlines over the past decade amid poor working conditions, causing significant losses for the military, data showed.
According to Air Force data submitted to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, Sunday, a total of 896 veteran pilots voluntarily left the service from 2017 to March this year.
The term "veteran pilots" refers to those with eight to 17 years of experience who are capable of independently carrying out operations and training lower-grade pilots.
In the first three months of this year alone, 47 pilots left the Air Force to join civilian airlines.
Of the total, up to 622, or 69.4 percent, joined Korean Air, the country's flagship carrier, while 147, or 16.4 percent, joined Asiana Airlines and 103, or 11.5 percent, joined low-cost carriers.
Separate 2025 data compiled by Rep. Kim Byung-kee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, another member of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, showed that 113 veteran Air Force pilots moved to commercial airlines in 2024, up from 82 in 2023 and 60 in 2022.
Most pilots who left the service joined commercial airlines shortly after completing their mandatory service period.
The average service period of the experienced pilots who left the military was 15.2 years for academy graduates and 10.6 years for nonacademy graduates.
The mandatory service period for fixed-wing aircraft pilots, including fighter and transport aircraft pilots, is 15 years for the Air Force Academy graduates and 10 years for non-academy graduates.
Source: Korea Times News
