What does an airport operations specialist do?
Airport operations specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real airport operations specialist resumes:
- Manage operations associate facilities, flight training equipment, and all associate logistics.
- Direct airside operations, which include safety and wildlife inspections, employee training, NOTAMs, and more.
- Attend meetings with FAA, TSA, tenants, and airport personnel to discuss operations, security and safety issues.
- Monitor CCTV security cameras for activity on property.
- Monitor the centralized security system to enforce TSA regulations.
- Inspect and operate emergency rescue equipment and perform firefighting operations .!
- Provide general daily oversight of airside operations including safety inspections, pavement and electrical inspections, maintenance and repair.
- Participate in many RFP's encompassing proposal writing, costing, layout, assembling.
Airport operations specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Airport Operations Specialists are proficient in Safety Inspections, Non-Emergency Situations, and Federal Aviation Administration. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Management skills.
We break down the percentage of Airport Operations Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Safety Inspections, 9%
Performed fuel and airport safety inspections.
- Non-Emergency Situations, 8%
Initiate, enter and update Emergency Notification System during emergency and non-emergency situations.
- Federal Aviation Administration, 8%
Coordinated snow removal operations with maintenance staff, contract haulers, Federal Aviation Administration, airline and non-airline tenants.
- Plumbing, 6%
General terminal maintenance including minor electrical, mechanical, and plumbing repairs.
- Reservations, 6%
Booked reservations and distributed boarding passes.
- Federal Regulations, 5%
Direct operations and security staff who monitored and enforced the Code of Federal Regulations related to the Aviation Security Program.
"safety inspections," "non-emergency situations," and "federal aviation administration" are among the most common skills that airport operations specialists use at work. You can find even more airport operations specialist responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an airport operations specialist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what airport operations specialists do because "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Additionally, an airport operations specialist resume shows how airport operations specialists use communication skills: "surveyed automated access control system and dfw fire alarm system, reporting status to public safety telecommunications department for response. "
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling airport operations specialist duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." According to an airport operations specialist resume, here's how airport operations specialists can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "provided leadership to direct reports, frontline work teams and the operation. "
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what airport operations specialists do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to airport operations specialist responsibilities because "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical airport operations specialist tasks: "solved problems and found solutions to customer complaints and inquires without supervision. "
Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for an airport operations specialist to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what airport operations specialists relies on this skill, since "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." How this skill relates to airport operations specialist duties can be seen in an example from an airport operations specialist resume snippet: "communicated with maintenance operations command center on maintenance completion times and status of aircraft that ensured accurate availability of assigned assets. "
The three companies that hire the most airport operations specialists are:
- City of Boise1 airport operations specialists jobs
- The Home Store1 airport operations specialists jobs
- CGH Technologies1 airport operations specialists jobs
Compare different airport operations specialists
Airport operations specialist vs. Traffic director
The main job of a traffic manager is to make sure that account service marketing collateral works and flows efficiently to production and creative departments. Traffic managers take responsibility for keeping everyone in the team on task and the projects on deadline. They manage the logistics tasks and keep the parties up-to-date on the recent progress. It is their job to coordinate work among the account managers, staff members, and advertisers. Also, they develop and maintain procedure transportation and distribution for delivery efficiency maximization.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an airport operations specialist are more likely to require skills like "safety inspections," "non-emergency situations," "federal aviation administration," and "plumbing." On the other hand, a job as a traffic director requires skills like "control traffic," "patrol," "general maintenance," and "direct traffic." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Traffic directors earn the highest salaries when working in the media industry, with an average yearly salary of $59,120. On the other hand, airport operations specialists are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $43,111.The education levels that traffic directors earn slightly differ from airport operations specialists. In particular, traffic directors are 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an airport operations specialist. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Airport operations specialist vs. Traffic manager
Each career also uses different skills, according to real airport operations specialist resumes. While airport operations specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "safety inspections," "non-emergency situations," "federal aviation administration," and "plumbing," traffic managers use skills like "project management," "traffic management," "account executives," and "faa."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Traffic managers tend to reach similar levels of education than airport operations specialists. In fact, they're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Airport operations specialist vs. Assistant terminal manager
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from airport operations specialist resumes include skills like "non-emergency situations," "federal aviation administration," "plumbing," and "reservations," whereas an assistant terminal manager is more likely to list skills in "dot," "safety rules," "osha," and "safety regulations. "
Most assistant terminal managers achieve a similar degree level compared to airport operations specialists. For example, they're 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Airport operations specialist vs. Flight director
Even though a few skill sets overlap between airport operations specialists and flight directors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an airport operations specialist might have more use for skills like "non-emergency situations," "federal aviation administration," "plumbing," and "reservations." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of flight directors require skills like "in-flight," "faa," "raid," and "nasa. "
In general, flight directors hold higher degree levels compared to airport operations specialists. Flight directors are 11.0% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of airport operations specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
