Application by Australian Federation of Air Pilots (282V)
Citation: [2026] FWC 2239
At a glance
- Awards cited
- MA000123
What happened
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) sought to vary the Air Pilots Award 2020. The proposed changes would include first officers in training and introduce a 'second officer under training' classification, setting minimum wages for these roles. This application arose from a previous decision (Qantas Airways Limited Pilots (Short Haul) Enterprise Agreement 2024 - EBA9 Case), where it was determined that first officers in training were not covered by the award. The Australian International Pilots Association (AIPA) and Qantas supported the changes, and all parties consented to the application being decided based on written submissions.
What was decided
The Fair Work Commission Deputy President approved the AFAP’s application to vary the Air Pilots Award 2020. This includes amending definitions for 'first officer' and introducing a new definition for 'second officer under training', along with setting minimum annual salaries for these roles in a salary table. The decision was made under section 157(1)(a) of the Fair Work Act, which allows for setting modern award minimum wages when necessary to achieve the modern awards objective.
What it means for employers
Employers covered by the Air Pilots Award 2020 need to be aware of these changes. They must now include first officers in training and second officers under training within the scope of the award, adhering to the newly set minimum wage rates. This highlights the importance of understanding how previous decisions impact award coverage and potential obligations.
What it means for employees
First officers in training and those classified as 'second officer under training' are now covered by the Air Pilots Award 2020 and entitled to the specified minimum annual salaries. Employees should review the updated award for details on their entitlements and ensure they are being paid correctly.
Want this applied to your situation?
Reading the decision is free. FairWork Mate goes further — it reads the full case library and applies precedents like this one to your specific facts, citing the cases as it reasons. General information, not a guaranteed outcome or legal advice.
Every statement above is drawn from the published decision. Read the original here:
https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/decisionssigned/pdf/2026fwc2239.pdfWant more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The AI advisor answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus — awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts — with a citation to the underlying decision on every answer.
Individual case summaries on this site are free. Full-corpus advisor access is a paid product — Business Solo from $99/mo, 50% off your first 3 months for the first 100 signups.
Get notified on new Fair Work cases
Free email alerts when we publish new underpayment decisions, penalty orders, and workplace law updates.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
This summary was drafted from the published decision and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified lawyer. About these summaries & corrections →