Airfield Operations Specialists

Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
O*NET-SOC code
53-2022.00

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.

  • Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08

    High· relative

    LowFour relative bandsVery high

    Group-level value

    Scale, basis and source

    Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)

    831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band

    Source dataset (XLSX download)

  • Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03

    0.048

    0.000Range of values carried here0.745
    Scale, basis and source

    Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published

    Mapped onto O*NET tasks

    Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value

    Source dataset (CSV download)

  • Data source: OpenAIPublished: 2023

    0.329

    0.000Range of values carried here0.844
    Scale, basis and source

    Human-rater β, 0–1 as published

    Mapped onto O*NET tasks

    Source dataset (CSV download)

What kind of figure this source publishes

The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.

Task-level exposure

Exposed tasks only

27 rated tasks · 19 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (70.4%)

β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.

  • Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
  • All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
Source
OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
Release
gh-main-0471612
License
MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI

Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.

Task (O*NET 27.2)βE1 + 0.5 × E2
Maintain air-to-ground and point-to-point radio contact with aircraft commanders.

O*NET Task ID 10617

1.0
Receive, transmit, and control message traffic.

O*NET Task ID 10623

1.0
Maintain flight and event logs, air crew flying records, and flight operations records of incoming and outgoing flights.

O*NET Task ID 10625

1.0
Conduct departure and arrival briefings.

O*NET Task ID 10631

1.0
Plan and coordinate airfield construction.

O*NET Task ID 10614

0.5
Coordinate with agencies, such as air traffic control, civil engineers, or command posts, to ensure support of airfield management activities.

O*NET Task ID 10615

0.5
Relay departure, arrival, delay, aircraft and airfield status, and other pertinent information to upline controlling agencies.

O*NET Task ID 10619

0.5
Procure, produce, and provide information on the safe operation of aircraft, such as flight planning publications, operations publications, charts and maps, or weather information.

O*NET Task ID 10620

0.5
Coordinate communications between air traffic control and maintenance personnel.

O*NET Task ID 10621

0.5
Receive and post weather information and flight plan data, such as air routes or arrival and departure times.

O*NET Task ID 10624

0.5
Coordinate with agencies to meet aircrew requirements for billeting, messing, refueling, ground transportation, and transient aircraft maintenance.

O*NET Task ID 10626

0.5
Collaborate with others to plan flight schedules and air crew assignments.

O*NET Task ID 10627

0.5
Coordinate changes to flight itineraries with appropriate Air Traffic Control (ATC) agencies.

O*NET Task ID 10628

0.5
Anticipate aircraft equipment needs for air evacuation and cargo flights.

O*NET Task ID 10629

0.5
Provide aircrews with information and services needed for airfield management and flight planning.

O*NET Task ID 10630

0.5
Post visual display boards and status boards.

O*NET Task ID 10633

0.5
Check military flight plans with civilian agencies.

O*NET Task ID 10634

0.5
Inspect airfield conditions to ensure compliance with federal regulatory requirements.

O*NET Task ID 23939

0.5
Conduct inspections of the airport property and perimeter to maintain controlled access to airfields.

O*NET Task ID 23940

0.5
Implement airfield safety procedures to ensure a safe operating environment for personnel and aircraft operation.

O*NET Task ID 10613

0.0
Monitor the arrival, parking, refueling, loading, and departure of all aircraft.

O*NET Task ID 10616

0.0
Train operations staff.

O*NET Task ID 10618

0.0
Perform and supervise airfield management activities, including mobile airfield management functions.

O*NET Task ID 10622

0.0
Use airfield landing and navigational aids and digital data terminal communications equipment to perform duties.

O*NET Task ID 10632

0.0
Assist in responding to aircraft and medical emergencies.

O*NET Task ID 20456

0.0
Manage wildlife on and around airport grounds.

O*NET Task ID 20457

0.0
Initiate or conduct airport-wide coordination of snow removal on runways and taxiways.

O*NET Task ID 23941

0.0

β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.

Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page

All O*NET 31.0 task statements (27)

All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.

Task (O*NET 31.0)Type
Implement airfield safety procedures to ensure a safe operating environment for personnel and aircraft operation.Core
Plan and coordinate airfield construction.Core
Coordinate with agencies, such as air traffic control, civil engineers, or command posts, to ensure support of airfield management activities.Core
Monitor the arrival, parking, refueling, loading, and departure of all aircraft.Core
Train operations staff.Core
Relay departure, arrival, delay, aircraft and airfield status, and other pertinent information to upline controlling agencies.Core
Coordinate communications between air traffic control and maintenance personnel.Core
Perform and supervise airfield management activities, including mobile airfield management functions.Core
Provide aircrews with information and services needed for airfield management and flight planning.Core
Assist in responding to aircraft and medical emergencies.Core
Manage wildlife on and around airport grounds.Core
Inspect airfield conditions to ensure compliance with federal regulatory requirements.Core
Conduct inspections of the airport property and perimeter to maintain controlled access to airfields.Core
Initiate or conduct airport-wide coordination of snow removal on runways and taxiways.Core
Maintain air-to-ground and point-to-point radio contact with aircraft commanders.Supplemental
Procure, produce, and provide information on the safe operation of aircraft, such as flight planning publications, operations publications, charts and maps, or weather information.Supplemental
Receive, transmit, and control message traffic.Supplemental
Receive and post weather information and flight plan data, such as air routes or arrival and departure times.Supplemental
Maintain flight and event logs, air crew flying records, and flight operations records of incoming and outgoing flights.Supplemental
Coordinate with agencies to meet aircrew requirements for billeting, messing, refueling, ground transportation, and transient aircraft maintenance.Supplemental
Collaborate with others to plan flight schedules and air crew assignments.Supplemental
Coordinate changes to flight itineraries with appropriate Air Traffic Control (ATC) agencies.Supplemental
Anticipate aircraft equipment needs for air evacuation and cargo flights.Supplemental
Conduct departure and arrival briefings.Supplemental
Use airfield landing and navigational aids and digital data terminal communications equipment to perform duties.Supplemental
Post visual display boards and status boards.Supplemental
Check military flight plans with civilian agencies.Supplemental

Occupation information

Employment outlook (BLS)

Employment, 2025
15K
Projected employment, 2035
17K
Change (2025–35)
+7.8%
Median annual wage, 2025
$56,850
Typical education needed for entry
High school diploma or equivalent
lowest $30,890median wage across 825 detailed occupations, BLS EP 2025–35highest $559,030

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — Employment by detailed occupation, 2025 and projected 2035

Korea classification links (KSCO)

Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.

KSCO codeKSCO titleRelationStatus
32222항공운송 사무원Overlapping, not the sameconfirmed

Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)

ESCO occupational vocabulary

Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.

  • airport operations officerESCO 3154.1.3Same scope

    Airport operations officers perform supervisory and administrative work monitoring operational activities on an assigned shift at a large airport. They ensure the safe take-off and landing of aircrafts

Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)

License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)

View original

ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.

France classification links (ROME)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.

ROME codeROME title (French)Relation
N2209Superviseur / Superviseuse pisteSame scope
N2204Agent / Agente de trafic aérienOverlapping, not the same
K1727Chargé / Chargée du guidage d'aéronef militaireRelated, not a match
N2210Superviseur / Superviseuse d'exploitation aéroportuaireRelated, not a match
N2211Planificateur régulateur vol / Planificatrice régulatrice volRelated, not a match

Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.

ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)

Spain classification links (CNO-11)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

CNO-11 codeCNO-11 title (Spanish)Relation
3154Controladores de tráfico aéreoRelated, not a match
4123Empleados de logística y transporte de pasajeros y mercancíasRelated, not a matchprovisional

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)

Germany classification links (KldB)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

KldB codeKldB title (German)Relation
51532Berufe in der Überwachung und Steuerung des Luftverkehrsbetriebs - fachlich ausgerichtete TätigkeitenOverlapping, not the same
51533Berufe in der Überwachung und Steuerung des Luftverkehrsbetriebs - komplexe SpezialistentätigkeitenRelated, not a match

Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)

Japan classification links (JSCO)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

JSCO codeJSCO title (Japanese)Relation
302運行管理事務員This occupation is narrowerprovisional
301旅客・貨物係事務員Related, not a matchprovisional

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)

Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources