Career profile · 53-2022
Airfield Operations Specialists
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.
What the work can involve
- Inspect airfield conditions to ensure compliance with federal regulatory requirements.
- 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.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Public Safety and Security
- Transportation
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 92.5%08/2021 · sample 25 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 57.3%08/2021 · sample 25 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 81.6%08/2021 · sample 25 |
| Spend Time Standing | Less than half the time | 36.1%08/2021 · sample 25 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 52.4%08/2021 · sample 25 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 54.5%08/2021 · sample 25 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 82.1%08/2021 · sample 25 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks
- Application server software: Apache HTTP Server
- Calendar and scheduling software: Operations scheduling software
- Data base user interface and query software: Aircraft noise monitoring system software, FileMaker Pro, Ground transportation management system, Microsoft Access
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software
- Expert system software: Decision Support Technologies Propworks
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop
- Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software: Internet Protocol Television Systems
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for airfield operations specialists
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 35 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $78,590 | $37.79 | Not published |
| Alaska | $71,510 | $34.38 | 160 |
| Arizona | $77,570 | $37.30 | 160 |
| California | $62,600 | $30.10 | 1,660 |
| Colorado | $77,500 | $37.26 | 70 |
| Florida | $57,650 | $27.72 | 2,320 |
| Georgia | $66,790 | $32.11 | 340 |
| Idaho | $62,510 | $30.05 | 40 |
| Indiana | $37,730 | $18.14 | 350 |
| Iowa | $48,870 | $23.50 | 40 |
| Kentucky | $123,290 | $59.27 | 290 |
| Massachusetts | $56,020 | $26.93 | 380 |
| Michigan | $61,780 | $29.70 | 440 |
| Mississippi | $44,290 | $21.29 | Not published |
| Missouri | $40,360 | $19.41 | 310 |
| Montana | $33,990 | $16.34 | 90 |
| Nevada | $61,350 | $29.49 | 150 |
| New Jersey | $42,480 | $20.42 | Not published |
| New Mexico | $69,090 | $33.22 | 50 |
| New York | $42,000 | $20.19 | 2,190 |
| North Carolina | $45,820 | $22.03 | 610 |
| North Dakota | $37,550 | $18.05 | 80 |
| Ohio | $57,140 | $27.47 | 360 |
| Oklahoma | $49,200 | $23.65 | 80 |
| Oregon | $75,130 | $36.12 | 50 |
| Pennsylvania | $55,660 | $26.76 | 340 |
| South Carolina | $33,590 | $16.15 | 90 |
| South Dakota | $37,860 | $18.20 | 190 |
| Tennessee | $40,180 | $19.32 | 190 |
| Texas | $60,910 | $29.28 | 1,310 |
| Utah | $59,780 | $28.74 | 290 |
| Virginia | $72,250 | $34.74 | 280 |
| Washington | $84,050 | $40.41 | 150 |
| West Virginia | $28,670 | $13.79 | 60 |
| Wisconsin | $39,400 | $18.94 | 100 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 54 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 53-2022.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.