10 Airport Jobs That Pay Well

The world’s safest airlines rely on great aircraft maintenance engineers to ensure that the planes in their fleet are in tip-top condition.

In Canada, an aircraft maintenance engineer, or AME, can train at a vocational college approved by Transport Canada. After doing an apprenticeship and passing the licensing exam, you get an AME licence for working on specific aircraft or aircraft systems, such as the airframe or the aircraft electronics system. Payscale says that the average salary for an AME in Canada is $66,410 per year but top AMEs can earn as much as $98,000 a year.

One of the airport related jobs with the best pay is that of air traffic controller. In fact, it’s one of the highest paying jobs in the world. According to Neuvoo, the average annual salary for an air traffic controller in Canada is $122,211 but it can go up to $139,835.

To become an air traffic controller in Canada, you need to be able to work well under pressure and pay close attention to detail. You also need to complete a training course with Nav Canada and pass security clearance and a medical exam.

A flight dispatcher, also called an aircraft dispatcher, is responsible for planning flight paths and for letting pilots know if conditions such as the weather, airport conditions and airspace restrictions change during the flight. To become a flight dispatcher in Canada, you first need to pass Transport Canada’s Flight Dispatcher Generic exams, which cover aspects ranging from air law to meteorology.

Once you know how to apply for airport jobs and have landed one, you need on-the-job training, an aeronautical restricted radio operator’s permit and pass a competency check to obtain Transport Canada’s Flight Dispatcher Certificate. The average salary for a flight dispatcher in Canada, according to Payscale, is $51,787 a year but it your pay can be as much as $61,000, depending on your experience.

Not all duties of ground staff at airports involve working with the public. Aircraft refuellers ensure that each plane has enough fuel for the flight. It’s a physically demanding and very specialized job that normally requires on-the-job training and passing background checks.

According to Neuvoo, the average annual salary for an aircraft refueller in Canada is $36,000 but with experience your salary can go up to $46,800.

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As an airport operations specialist, you need to coordinate with pilots, air traffic controllers, ground crew, terminal agents and just about everyone else on the list of airport jobs to ensure that things run smoothly and safely.

Airport-related experience and at least a bachelor’s degree in business administration are essential to ensure that the airport you work at doesn’t become one of the world’s worst airports. Neuvoo says that the average airport operations salary is $55,955 a year but that you can make up to $75,153 as you gain experience.

One of the things that many of the world’s best airports have in common is that they employ great airport managers. As an airport manager, you oversee the airport’s day-to-day operations. This includes signing contracts with businesses leasing space in the airport, planning budgets, ensuring that everyone complies with the relevant regulations, managing delays, handling customer complaints, and much more.

To become an airport manager, you need at least a bachelor’s degree in aviation management, business administration or a related field and experience working at airports. According to Indeed, the average annual pay for an airport manager in Canada is $80,798 but top airport managers can make as much as $152,000 a year.

Did the airline lose your luggage? Blame the ramp supervisor. This is the person overseeing the work of the ramp agents, making sure that they load and unload baggage and cargo quickly, safely and in accordance with aviation regulations.

To become a ramp supervisor, you need experience as a ramp agent while a bachelor’s degree in aviation management can increase your chances of landing the job. According to Neuvoo, the average annual salary for a ramp supervisor in Canada is $33,819 while those at the top of their field can earn up to $35,254 a year.

If you’re looking for great airport job opportunities or want to work your way up to one of the cool jobs for people who love to travel, it might be a good idea to start as a passenger service agent. You will be one of the airline’s representatives on the ground, working mainly at the check-in desks and boarding gates. The job basically involves checking in passengers before their flight and making sure that their luggage complies with regulations.

According to Neuvoo, the average annual salary for a passenger service agent in Canada is $25,838 but it can go up to $29,777. It might not be the greatest salary in the world but the job usually comes with perks like travel discounts.

One of the more unusual jobs you can do at the airport is to be a limousine driver, transporting passengers between the airport and their hotel or that important business meeting. You’ll need great people skills and discretion, as well as a valid driver’s licence: Class G in Ontario and Class 4 in all other provinces and territories. Neuvoo says that the average annual salary for a limousine driver in Canada is $28,763 but you can make up to $33,272.

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Meteorologists have one of the great jobs that don’t involve sitting at a desk. An aviation meteorologist specializes in determining and forecasting weather conditions that can affect air travel, such as wind speed and direction at different altitudes, cloud cover that can affect visibility and the likelihood of turbulence. You then need to communicate this information to pilots and flight dispatchers.

To become an aviation meteorologist, you need a degree in meteorology. According to Payscale, the average salary for a meteorologist in Canada is $57,389 but top meteorologists can make as much as $102,000 a year.