Saudi Arabia increases fighter pilots’ pay by 60%

The Saudi Cabinet announced a pay increase of up to 60 percent for air force pilots on Monday, state news agency SPA reported, as a military campaign led by the kingdom in neighbouring Yemen entered its third year.

Saudi Arabia and its mostly Gulf Arab allies have launched thousands of air strikes in an attempt to dislodge Yemen’s armed Houthi movement from the capital Sanaa.

The kingdom is also member of the U.S.-led alliance against Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

The Cabinet amended laws pertaining to military officers, allowing air force pilots and weapons operators to receive a 35 percent rise on basic salary, said in a statement.

The increase for officers flying fighter jets and operating their weapons systems will be 60 percent, it said.

No reason was given for the move, nor an indication of what their current salaries might be.

The world’s biggest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia has implemented some austerity measures to wean its citizens off decades of government largesse.

Source: Reuters