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Airport Manager

Air Traffic

WHAT THIS CAREER ACTUALLY IS

Airport managers and directors of aviation oversee everything that keeps an airport running: FAA safety and security compliance, runway/facility maintenance, budgets and airline/tenant relationships, and emergency planning. Small general-aviation airports may have one manager doing all of it; large hub airports have entire departments under a director of aviation.

HIGH SCHOOL→3 routes→AIR TRAFFIC

WHAT YOU CAN DO IN HIGH SCHOOL

  • ✓Look for a college aviation management or airport management degree program
  • ✓Build business, budgeting, and public-speaking skills alongside aviation knowledge
  • ✓Seek an internship at a local airport authority if one exists near you
  • ✓Research the AAAE's Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.) credential — the industry's own professional certification

REAL ROUTES IN — CHOOSE WHAT FITS YOU

4-YEAR DEGREE

Aviation/Airport Management Degree

A bachelor's degree in aviation management, airport management, or business, often combined with an aviation-industry internship, is the most direct route into an entry-level airport operations or management position.

DIRECT EMPLOYMENT

Airport Operations Experience

Starting in airport operations, ramp, or facilities roles and working up over years of experience is a real, well-traveled route — AAAE's own Accredited Airport Executive credential allows substituting 8 years of airport management experience for the 4-year-degree requirement.

MILITARY

Military Airfield Management

Military airfield/base operations management experience is recognized by AAAE's Accredited Airport Executive program, which can exempt veterans from its standard 1-year civil airport experience requirement.

CERTIFICATION PATH

No single required FAA certificate for the manager role itself, but the industry's own professional credential is AAAE's Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.) — requiring a 4-year degree or 8 years of airport management experience, plus an exam, a writing requirement, and an oral interview.

RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

  • • American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)

EXPLICACIÓN EN ESPAÑOL

Dirige las operaciones comerciales y de seguridad de todo un aeropuerto — pistas, terminales, cumplimiento normativo, presupuestos y las aerolíneas e inquilinos que operan ahí.

SOURCES