The smooth running of an airport and a private jet departure is linked to the meticulous and technical work of many professions. Many people play an important role in ensuring the smooth and safe embarkation and disembarkation. Are you familiar with the job of airport station manager? They are in charge of welcoming, informing and taking care of airport customers. He/she ensures the arrival and departure of aircraft. They supervise the team throughout the airport site. AEROAFFAIRES introduces you to the job of ground handler. Find out more about this job, which is essential to the reception of our customers and the smooth flight of our passengers.
What is the job of airport station manager ?
The airport station manager is part of the commercial services of an airline. He ensures airport security. The airport station manager is an operations manager. He/she is in charge of handling flights and supervising the operational team on the airport site. He/she is also in charge of a team of ground staff. The ground handlers work to welcome passengers at the airport. They are responsible for the departure (boarding), disembarkation and transit of passengers.
They carry out all check-in operations for passengers and their luggage and facilitate connecting procedures. In some companies, the airport station manager takes care of unaccompanied infants, the elderly and the disabled.
The airport station manager can work weekends and holidays. He or she usually works staggered hours. He is in contact with all the airport authorities:
- police
- civil aviation
- company services
- flight management
- maintenance department…
In order to ensure good communication, fluency in English is essential.
How to become an airport station manager ?
The station manager, if he or she has not made a career within the commercial staff of an airline, most often comes from a commercial training related to transport or tourism, which has given him or her management skills.
Several training courses are recognized to exercise the profession of station manager:
- Senior aviation technician
- Business school diploma
- Professional master’s degree: professional master’s degree in air transport management or professional master’s degree in transport and industrial and commercial logistics
The qualities required to become an airport station manager
Ground handler is a multi-faceted profession. This job requires a high level of autonomy and versatility in order to be able to carry out a wide range of missions: smooth running of flights, baggage handling, passenger welfare, etc.
Also responsible for the station’s budget, a station manager must have good management skills and a certain ability to negotiate contracts with subcontractors.
The station manager must have a good balance of nerves to deal with sometimes stressful situations. Each flight is likely to be affected by external hazards, dangerous goods that must be anticipated in order to manage them as best as possible when they occur. In addition, you must also have a well-developed sense of organization and unfailing rigor to assume the responsibilities entrusted to you.
What is the salary of an airport station manager ?
Salaries can be different depending on the airline where the station manager works.
However, you should expect to earn about €2,000 gross per month. At the end of the career, the salary can reach €5,000 gross per month.
What are the career opportunities ?
A station manager can move to the central administrative services of his company. He or she may join the human resources department, the central communications department, or other functions depending on internal mobility or the opportunities offered by the airports.
AEROAFFAIRES works hand in hand with the station managers of various companies during private jet flights. Their knowledge of the ground and expertise are essential to the smooth running of our passengers’ flights on group, family, medical repatriation or air cargo flights.
