Airport Operations Officer Salary in the United States

How much does an Airport Operations Officer make in the United States?

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for an Airport Operations Officer in the United States is $196,042 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $94.

However, an Airport Operations Officer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $223,123
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $172,539 to $210,217
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $151,141
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View as table View as graph 25% $172,539 10% $151,141 90% $223,123 75% $210,217 $196,042 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Airport Operations Officer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $210,217 $17,518 $4,043 $101
Average $196,042 $16,337 $3,770 $94
25th Percentile $172,539 $14,378 $3,318 $83
Check out Airport Operations Officer Job Openings in the United States
Chief Finance&Internal Operations Officer

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Chief Finance&amp Internal Operations Officer

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Chief AI Officer

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Associate Vice President Internal Communications

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Search More Airport Operations Officer Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Airport Operations Officer Salaries

An Airport Operations Officer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Airport Operations Officer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Airport Operations Officer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here’s how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $158,340
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $128,522
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $163,751
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $195,000
  • Expert (over 8 years): $241,770
Levels Salary
Lead Flig... Level Airport Operations Officer$158,340
Flight Op... Level Airport Operations Officer$128,522
Flight Op... Level Airport Operations Officer$163,751
Airport O... Level Airport Operations Officer$195,000
Flight Op... Level Airport Operations Officer$241,770
$158,340 0 yr
$128,522 < 2 yrs
$163,751 2-4 yrs
$195,000 5-8 yrs
$241,770 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Airport Operations Officers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $247,268
  • San Francisco: $244,560
  • Oakland: $239,406

What Skills Can Increase an Airport Operations Officer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Planning (Mentioned in 8.33% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
  • Software Design (Mentioned in 1.67% Job Postings): Software design is the process by which an agent creates a specification of a software artifact, intended to accomplish goals, using a set of primitive components and subject to constraints. Software design may refer to either "all the activity involved in conceptualizing, framing, implementing, commissioning, and ultimately modifying complex systems" or "the activity following requirements specification and before programming, as ... [in] a stylized software engineering process." Software design usually involves problem solving and planning a software solution. This includes both a low-level component and algorithm design and a high-level, architecture design.
  • Continuous Improvement (Mentioned in 0.83% Job Postings): A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. Some see CIPs as a meta-process for most management systems (such as business process management, quality management, project management, and program management). W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer of the field, saw it as part of the 'system' whereby feedback from the process and customer were evaluated against organisational goals. The fact that it can be called a management process does not mean that it needs to be executed by 'management'; but rather merely that it makes decisions about the implementation of the delivery process and the design of the delivery process itself.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Planning 8.33%
Software Design 1.67%
Continuous Improvement 0.83%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Airport Operations Officer's salary.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility: Can increase your salary by up to 24%.
  • Long Term Planning: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
  • Marketing Planning: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Corporate Social Responsibility
$243,092
24%
Long Term Planning
$235,250
20%
Marketing Planning
$219,567
12%
Team Management
$219,567
12%
Project Design
$215,646
10%
Catering
$211,725
8%
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Airport Operations Officer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Airport Operations Officer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 80% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Healthcare and Energy & Utilities sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 40% above the average. In contrast, Airport Operations Officer positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Financial Services typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Airport Operations Officer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for an Airport Operations Officer

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$274,459$132.040%
Energy & Utilities$254,855$123.030%
Insurance$245,052$118.025%
Construction$235,250$113.020%
Telecom$235,250$113.020%

How Education impacts an Airport Operations Officer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Airport Operations Officers enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Airport Operations Officer with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $188,420 and $207,090).

Airport Operations Officer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Airport Operations Officer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.5%
High School 14.4%
Associates 12.9%
Bachelors 46.2%
Masters 24.7%
Doctorate 1.3%
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Airport Operations Officer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Airport Operations Officer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on August 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Airport Operations Officer

Salaries for an Airport Operations Officer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $139,736 in 2023 to around $133,997 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Airport Operations Officer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Airport Operations Officer Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$139,736
2024
$137,196
2025
$133,997
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $139,736
2024 $137,196
2025 $133,997
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Airport Operations Officer

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Airport Operations Officer

Here are companies hiring for Airport Operations Officer and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Airport Operations Officer Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Airport Operations Officer job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Vice President, Credit Risk Strategy & Data Science. About the Company. High-growth SMB lender building the next generation of credit decisioning. Industry... more

    19 Days Ago

  • KreilKamp Trucking

    Columbus, OH

    KreilKamp Trucking | Columbus, OH

    Regional CDL A Drivers | NEW Grads Welcome | Earn $70,000+ Annually. We're proud to be a 4th generation family truck line, started in 1935, but even proude... more

    19 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Vice President, Payments Engineering. About the Company. Globally-recognized provider of corporate payment solutions. Industry. Financial Services. Type. P... more

    21 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Senior Vice President of Project Delivery. About the Company. A multi-billion-dollar construction organization with collaborative, servant-minded leadershi... more

    21 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Chief of Staff. About the Company. Innovative travel platform for booking & managing work trips. Industry. Computer Software. Type. Privately Held, VC-back... more

    21 Days Ago

  • McDonalds

    Columbus, OH

    McDonalds | Columbus, OH

    McDonald’s is seeking Crew Team Members to assist with daily restaurant operations including customer service, food preparation, and maintaining restaurant... more

    28 Days Ago

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FAQ about Airport Operations Officer

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Airport Operations Officer?

The Healthcare industry offers the highest average compensation for Airport Operations Officer roles, with salaries approximately 40% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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