Air transport operatives: salary in the UK
About £28,603 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +0.2% on last year
£2,903 a month About £2,384 a month after tax 10 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £23,840 in 2021 to £34,839 in 2026 (+46%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | x | x | £23,840 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | £22,869 | £27,135 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | x | £27,642 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £26,552 | £32,578 | x | x |
| 2025 | £26,711 | £29,636 | £34,755 | £43,654 | x |
| 2026 | x | £29,479 | £34,839 | £41,803 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £34,839 a year and half earn more. That is 15% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £29,479 and £41,803.
Ranked by median, it is number 212 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,384 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,382 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | £28,875 | £2,406 |
| 25th (P25) | £29,479 | £2,457 |
| 30th | £30,212 | £2,518 |
| 40th | £33,203 | £2,767 |
| Median (50th) | £34,839 | £2,903 |
| 60th | £36,420 | £3,035 |
| 70th | £40,882 | £3,407 |
| 75th (P75) | £41,803 | £3,484 |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £35,096 | £37,243 | 9 |
| Women | x | x | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £28,603 | £2,384 |
| Scotland | £28,590 | £2,382 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £35,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 42 job titles to SOC 8233 Air transport operatives. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Aerodrome attendant
- Aircraft despatch coordinator
- Aircraft despatcher
- Aircraft dispatcher
- Aircraft hand
- Aircraft handler
- Aircraft loader
- Aircraft marshaller
- Aircraft refueller
- Airfield controller
- Airfield operator
- Airline baggage team leader
- Airport hand
- Airport superintendent
- Apron controller
- Apron hand
- Baggage handler
- Cargo handler
- Dispatch manager
- Driver-loader
- Flight despatcher
- Flight dispatcher
- Flight operations officer
- General hand
- Ground staff
- Helicopter landing officer
- Load master
- Loader driver
- Loader-driver
- Loading supervisor
- Loadmaster
- Ramp agent
- Ramp service agent
- Ramp service officer
- Ramp supervisor
- Ramp worker
- Refueller
- Tarmac man
- Traffic despatcher
- Traffic dispatcher
- Tug driver
- X-ray operative
Similar occupations
All jobs in Process, plant and machine operatives
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.