Airfield Operations Specialists Career, Salary and Skills
Airfield Operations Specialists have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $56,850 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 15,190. Wage data is published for 84 locations.
Occupation description
Ensure the safe takeoff and landing of commercial and military aircraft. Duties include coordination between air-traffic control and maintenance personnel, dispatching, using airfield landing and navigational aids, implementing airfield safety procedures, monitoring and maintaining flight records, and applying knowledge of weather information.
O*NET code
53-2022.00
Job zone
3
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$56,850
Hourly median
$27.33
Employment
15,190
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Active Listening | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Coordination | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Writing | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Instructing | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Active Learning | 3.25 | 3.25 |
Typical tasks
- Implement airfield safety procedures to ensure a safe operating environment for personnel and aircraft operation.
- Conduct inspections of the airport property and perimeter to maintain controlled access to airfields.
- Assist in responding to aircraft and medical emergencies.
- Initiate or conduct airport-wide coordination of snow removal on runways and taxiways.
- Manage wildlife on and around airport grounds.
- Coordinate communications between air traffic control and maintenance personnel.
- Perform and supervise airfield management activities, including mobile airfield management functions.
- Inspect airfield conditions to ensure compliance with federal regulatory requirements.
Technology
- Adobe Photoshop
- Aircraft noise monitoring system software
- Apache HTTP Server
- Decision Support Technologies Propworks
- Extensible markup language XML
- FileMaker Pro
- Ground transportation management system
- Internet Protocol Television Systems
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Linux
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
Airfield Operations Specialists salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in FLMedian $57,650 · Employment 2,320
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in NYMedian $42,000 · Employment 2,190
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in New York, NYMedian $42,000 · Employment 2,090
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in CAMedian $62,600 · Employment 1,660
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in Miami, FLMedian $58,630 · Employment 1,530
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in TXMedian $60,910 · Employment 1,310
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in PRMedian $50,180 · Employment 820
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $57,330 · Employment 620
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in NCMedian $45,820 · Employment 610
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in MIMedian $61,780 · Employment 440
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in MAMedian $56,020 · Employment 380
- Airfield Operations Specialists Salary in OHMedian $57,140 · Employment 360
Related careers
- Traffic TechniciansNational median $59,090
- Ship EngineersNational median $109,530
- First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, HandNational median not published
- Locomotive EngineersNational median $81,410
- First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention WorkersNational median $93,530
- Aircraft Service AttendantsNational median $40,450
- Transportation InspectorsNational median $92,100
- First-Line Supervisors of Security WorkersNational median $55,940
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.