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Engineering ServicesISCO 3154

Flight operations officer

A flight operations officer is a person who assembles the information a flight needs in order to move aircraft between airports and around them without delay. The data gathered covers the scheduled arrival and departure times at checkpoints and planned stops, the quantity of fuel the flight requires, and the maximum permitted take-off and landing weights.

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Rate 5 of the 16 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

coordinate flight schedules

deal with air traffic issues

manage budgets

work in shifts

organise aircraft maintenance

About flight operations officer

Preparing the flight is the core task. Those figures are not independent of one another: fuel is weight, weight limits payload, and a change in the route or the weather changes all three. The officer works the numbers until the flight as planned is a flight that can legally and safely be flown.

Coordination fills the rest of the shift. The officer coordinates flight schedules, resolves air traffic problems as they arise, manages the aircraft handling systems, and issues verbal instructions to the people on the apron and in the operations room. Decisions are taken in a short time.

Two further parts belong to the role. The officer implements the safety procedures that apply in the airport operational area, where vehicles, aircraft and people share the same ground, and shares analytical insights with the airline, such as patterns of recurring delay. Budgets are managed as part of the same responsibility.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (16)

air transport lawair transport lawThe rules and regulations governing air transport, including international law.air traffic control operationsair traffic control operationsThe procedures for organising air traffic, preventing collisions and ensuring smooth operations during flights, and the tasks performed by air traffic controllers, including Interaction and effective ...coordinate flight schedulescoordinate flight schedulesManage and review flight schedules and aircraft operations before and after departure.communicate verbal instructionscommunicate verbal instructionsCommunicate transparent instructions. Ensure that messages are understood and followed correctly.deal with air traffic issuesdeal with air traffic issuesDeal with issues affecting the airline e.g. air traffic control problems and adverse weather conditions. This may involve rearranging flight slots when delays occur.manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.implement airside safety proceduresimplement airside safety proceduresApply a series of airfield safety rules and procedures to ensure a safe working environment for airport crew.work in shiftswork in shiftsWork in rotating shifts, where the goal is to keep a service or production line running around the clock and each day of the week.organise aircraft maintenanceorganise aircraft maintenanceOrganise arrangements for aircraft maintenance and repair activities; communicate with engineering centres.manage aviation planningmanage aviation planningDevelop and execute contingency plans; evaluate changes in aviation planning.make time-critical decisionsmake time-critical decisionsPursue optimal time-critical decision making within the organisation.identify airport safety hazardsidentify airport safety hazardsSpot threats related to security at the airport and apply procedures to counteract them in a quick, safe, and efficient way.manage aircraft support systemsmanage aircraft support systemsPerform data capture, process and control to manage aircraft support systems.manage allocation of flight resourcesmanage allocation of flight resourcesEnsure that each flight operates with a suitable aircraft and team of crew members.ensure flights run to scheduleensure flights run to scheduleMonitor the departure and arrival times of aircraft; ensure that flights run on time.communicate analytical insightscommunicate analytical insightsObtain analytical insights and share them with relevant teams, in order to enable them to optimise supply chain (SC) operations and planning.
Optional (3) — show
adapt to changing situationsadapt to changing situationsChange approach to situations based on unexpected and sudden changes in people's needs and mood or in trends; shift strategies, improvise and naturally adapt to those circumstances.negotiate logistics servicesnegotiate logistics servicesReach an agreement on the planning and control of the movement of goods, and all related logistical supporting activities without losing sight of one's own or others' goals.provide advice on breaches of regulationprovide advice on breaches of regulationAdvise on preventive and corrective actions; correct any breaches of or non-compliance with legal regulations.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a flight operations officer do?

Flight operations officers compile flight information to expedite movement of aircraft between and through airports. They compile aircraft dispatch data such as scheduled arrival and departure times at checkpoints and scheduled stops, amount of fuel needed for flight, and maximum allowable gross take-off and landing weight.

What skills does a flight operations officer need?

A flight operations officer needs 16 essential skills, including air transport law, air traffic control operations, coordinate flight schedules, communicate verbal instructions, deal with air traffic issues.

Will AI replace flight operations officer jobs?

The AI disruption score for flight operations officer is 38/100 (moderate risk). Skills most exposed to automation: manage budgets, air transport law, coordinate flight schedules. Most resilient: work in shifts, adapt to changing situations, negotiate logistics services.

AI Replacement Risk

38/ 100
Moderate Risk
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Quick Facts

SectorEngineering Services
ISCO GroupScience and engineering associate professionals
Essential Skills16

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