That doesn't necessarily mean the same thing. I'd stick with Tufguy's sentences.Both sentences are grammatically correct but it would be much more natural to say "My friend is an international pilot".
That has the advantage of avoiding the near-repetition "flies/flights". Such repetitions are not wrong, and this one is much less awkward than others we've seen in another recent Tufguy thread, but it's usually better to avoid them.You could also say "He flies international routes".
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