How To Become A Flight Operations Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a flight operations manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

The role of flight operations managers is to track air traffic as well as power over ground operations. They are responsible for the timetable and speak to the in-flight teams. Planning pilot and team training, submitting history controls and medical records are written by flight operations managers.

It is the duty of flight operations managers to look after all departmental operations. They usually hold interviews and hire potential employees and crew. They also prepare all flights including pilot schedules, flight attendants, and the crew. They also track improvements to the airports where their aircraft land.

Many flight operations managers have bachelor's degrees in aeronautical science. Some employers require them to take special courses to become a manager. In addition, they prefer flight operations managers to have experience in multi-engine commercial aircraft operations. It is important to be computer literate for this role. It may be inevitable for them to work more than the standard 40 hours since most commercial and military airports run 24/7.

ScoreFlight Operations ManagerUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,558

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.34%

Black or African American 6.15%

Hispanic or Latino 15.09%

Unknown 4.33%

White 67.62%

Gender

female 21.21%

male 78.79%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a flight operations manager

Explore flight operations manager education requirements

Most common flight operations manager degrees

Bachelor's

59.7 %

Associate

23.2 %

Master's

11.0 %

Start to develop specific flight operations manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Flight Operations	22.73%
DOD	15.44%
FAA	12.62%
Safety Procedures	8.99%
OPS	6.80%

Complete relevant flight operations manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New flight operations managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a flight operations manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real flight operations manager resumes.

Research flight operations manager duties and responsibilities

Manage operations associate facilities, flight training equipment, and all associate logistics.
Identify and manage implementation of projects design to meet unique regulatory compliance requirements during ongoing implementation of enterprise-wide LMS.
Assist and help assess TSA transition in airport.
Select to be group level tactics director during deployment for combat operations in Afghanistan.

Apply for flight operations manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a flight operations manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

What is a flight operations manager and how to become one

Flight operations manager career paths