I haven't played this enough to know, so it is pay to win?
no
the system is a bit different
like you can pay to level up faster or get cool-ass planes, but in a match level 1's are matched with level 1's and 2's, so if you just level up faster or have higher ranking aircraft faster, youll just be placed in a match with people who have the same or similar rank as you
so you never have a major advantage over your enemy in battle