Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Aviation Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Aviation Manager leads the day-to-day and strategic management of aircraft operations, ensuring regulatory compliance, operational safety, and financial performance. This role owns the operational integrity of flight and maintenance programs, manages cross-functional teams (flight crews, maintenance, ground handling, and support staff), and acts as the primary liaison with regulatory authorities, airports, vendors, and senior leadership. Ideal candidates combine technical aviation knowledge (AOC/CAMO, SMS, MEL), strong leadership and stakeholder management skills, and proven experience delivering operational improvements and cost control.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Flight Operations Supervisor or Flight Operations Officer with operational scheduling experience
Chief Pilot or Senior Line Pilot transitioning to management
Maintenance/Engineering Manager or CAMO Supervisor
Airport/Station Manager or Ground Operations Manager

Advancement To:

Director of Operations
Head of Flight Operations or Head of Maintenance & Engineering
Vice President, Aviation Operations or Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Head of Safety & Regulatory Affairs or Chief Safety Officer (CSO)

Lateral Moves:

Fleet Manager (commercial or corporate)
Safety Manager / SMS Manager
Regulatory Affairs Manager / AOC Compliance Manager
Commercial Operations or Network Planning Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement and continuously improve the Safety Management System (SMS) and safety culture across flight operations and maintenance departments; lead hazard identification, risk assessment, and mitigation activities to reduce operational risk and ensure compliance with FAA/EASA/CAA regulations.
Manage day-to-day flight operations and aircraft dispatch activities, including operational flight plans, flight release, MEL (Minimum Equipment List) decisions, and coordination with dispatch, crew scheduling, and air traffic control to maintain on-time performance and operational integrity.
Oversee aircraft maintenance planning and execution in coordination with CAMO, in-house maintenance teams or third-party MROs, ensuring aircraft availability, airworthiness, and compliance with maintenance programs, ADs (Airworthiness Directives), SBs (Service Bulletins), and manufacturer recommendations.
Hold accountability for the airline/operator AOC (Air Operator Certificate) compliance: prepare for regulatory inspections, manage corrective action plans, maintain operations manuals, and liaise with civil aviation authorities to ensure continued operational approval.
Prepare, manage and report on operating budgets and P&L for flight operations and maintenance functions; drive cost optimization through fuel efficiency programs, vendor negotiations, contract management, and lifecycle cost analysis while preserving safety standards.
Lead a multi-disciplinary team (pilots, engineers, dispatchers, ground ops) including recruitment, training, performance management and succession planning; ensure competency matrices, qualifications, recurrent training, and crew licensing are maintained and audited.
Direct emergency response and operational disruption management procedures, including activation of the emergency response plan, coordination with ground handling, airports, regulators and customer service teams, and post-incident analysis to restore normal operations quickly and safely.
Implement and enforce operational policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and checklists for flight operations, ground handling, security, and maintenance, ensuring consistent operational execution and regulatory conformance across all stations.
Monitor operational KPIs (on-time performance, dispatch reliability, completion factor, mechanical delay minutes) and produce management-level dashboards and reports to support data-driven decisions and continuous improvement initiatives.
Conduct internal audits and lead external regulatory audits, safety investigations, and root cause analyses following incidents or non-conformances; develop and oversee corrective and preventive action plans and track effectiveness.
Manage vendor and supplier relationships (ground handling, catering, fuel suppliers, MROs), negotiate commercial contracts and service level agreements, and enforce performance standards and contractual KPIs to deliver operational reliability and cost efficiencies.
Oversee fleet strategy, including aircraft utilization planning, aircraft rotation, lease management, introduction of new aircraft types, and retirement planning with cross-functional engagement (finance, procurement, training).
Ensure regulatory record-keeping, documentation integrity and version control for operations manuals, maintenance records, crew records, and compliance logs; supervise the issuance and distribution of revisions and safety bulletins.
Develop and implement environmental and sustainability initiatives relevant to aviation operations: fuel management programs, emissions tracking, noise abatement procedures, and waste/recycling programs aligned to corporate ESG targets.
Lead continuous improvement and lean operations projects to improve turnaround times, reduce maintenance-induced delays, optimize crew rosters, and standardize processes across multiple bases or stations.
Supervise the implementation and optimization of aviation software systems (AIMS, AMOS, Ramco, AERO, Sabre Crew Manager) for crew scheduling, maintenance planning, reliability analysis, and flight tracking; ensure data integrity and cross-system integrations.
Act as the primary point of contact for airports, ground handlers, ATC authorities and other external stakeholders, negotiating slot usage, handling ground service issues, and representing the airline/operator in operational forums.
Ensure effective security and compliance with aviation security regulations (ICAO Annex 17, local authority requirements), including oversight of access control, cargo/passenger screening processes and staff security training.
Lead route and capacity planning coordination with network planning and commercial teams to assess operational feasibility, crew/aircraft resource allocation, and airport infrastructure constraints for new or seasonal routes.
Drive incident investigation and human factors analysis following operational events; produce formal reports with safety recommendations and follow up to ensure lessons learned are institutionalized.
Own customer disruption handling procedures for irregular operations (IRROPS), coordinating passenger reaccommodation, communications and regulatory reporting where required.
Ensure continuous professional development of staff through competency assessments, recurrent training programs, CRM/LOSA initiatives, and cross-training to support operational resilience and staffing flexibility.

Secondary Functions

Support development and rollout of digital transformation initiatives (electronic flight bags, digital tech logs, predictive maintenance analytics) to improve operational visibility and reduce manual work.
Assist procurement with technical evaluation of aircraft spares, consumables and ground support equipment and support capital expenditure (CAPEX) requests for maintenance and ground operations upgrades.
Provide operational input to marketing and commercial teams during route launches, promotional schedules and charter operations to align operational capability with revenue objectives.
Participate regularly in executive operational review meetings and strategic planning workshops to align day-to-day operations with long-term business objectives.
Mentor junior managers across operations, maintenance and dispatch functions, fostering cross-functional collaboration and knowledge transfer.
Contribute to the company’s crisis management team, supporting scenario planning, business continuity, and resilience exercises.
Coordinate with HR to ensure compliance with work/rest regulations, fatigue risk management programs, and to implement workforce wellbeing and retention initiatives.
Represent the aviation function in joint safety committees, cross-departmental steering groups and industry working groups to share best practices and stay aligned with regulatory developments.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep knowledge of aviation regulatory frameworks (FAA, EASA, CAA or relevant local authority) and hands-on experience managing AOC/CAMO/Part145 compliance.
Safety Management System (SMS) design, implementation and oversight, including hazard reporting, risk assessment and safety performance monitoring.
Strong aircraft maintenance oversight experience: familiarity with maintenance planning, reliability programs, MEL/CDL application, AD/SB tracking and relationship with MRO providers.
Flight operations expertise: dispatch, flight planning, operational control, crew rostering and understanding of MEL/NOTAR requirements.
Proficiency with aviation IT systems including AMOS, Ramco, AIMS, Ultramain, Sabre, TripManager or other maintenance and crew management platforms; comfortable working with integrations and data exports.
Budgeting, P&L ownership and cost control skills specific to aviation (fuel management, lease negotiations, maintenance cost optimization).
Incident investigation and root cause analysis capability with formal training in human factors and safety investigation techniques.
Contract negotiation and vendor management skills for MROs, ground handlers, fuel suppliers and airport services.
Knowledge of airport operations, slot coordination, ground handling processes, and ground support equipment requirements.
Data literacy for performance monitoring and KPIs: ability to interpret reliability data, delay codes, block hours, and present insights to senior leadership.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and people management: ability to build, coach and retain high-performing cross-functional teams in a fast-paced operational environment.
Clear, decisive communication and stakeholder management: communicates operational issues, safety concerns and commercial impacts effectively to executives, regulators and frontline staff.
Excellent problem-solving and crisis decision-making under pressure; proven track record managing irregular operations and operational disruptions.
Strategic thinking with a focus on continuous improvement, process optimization, and long-term operational resilience.
High attention to detail and organizational skills to manage complex documentation, audit trails and compliance deliverables.
Negotiation and conflict resolution skills to manage vendors, airports, and internal cross-functional priorities.
Adaptability and cultural sensitivity for operations across multiple geographies and bases.
Analytical mindset with the ability to use operational data to drive improvements and make evidence-based recommendations.
Customer-focused orientation to balance operational efficiency with passenger experience and regulatory obligations.
Collaborative mindset with proven ability to work across commercial, finance, HR and technical teams.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management, Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering, Business Administration, Mechanical Engineering or equivalent combined with relevant operational experience.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Aviation Management, MBA, or advanced certification in Aviation Safety, Project Management (PMP) or Lean/Six Sigma.
Professional pilot license (ATPL/CPL) or aircraft maintenance license (AME/Engineer) is a strong plus for operational credibility.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Aviation Management
Aeronautical / Aerospace Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Business Administration / Finance
Safety Management / Human Factors

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 7 - 15+ years of progressive experience in airline, charter, corporate flight department, or MRO operations with at least 3–5 years in a supervisory or management role.

Preferred:

Demonstrated experience managing flight operations, maintenance programs and regulatory compliance for commercial or corporate operators.
Experience interacting with civil aviation authorities, managing AOC/CAMO responsibilities, and leading audits or corrective action programs.
Proven track record of implementing SMS, driving operational KPIs, and delivering cost savings while maintaining safety and reliability.