Career
Aircraft cargo handling supervisors
Lead the crews that load and unload aircraft cargo.
$58,170
Median pay
+9.2%
Job growth, 2025–35
900
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Determine the quantity and orientation of cargo, and compute an aircraft's center of gravity.
- Direct ground crews in the loading, unloading, securing, or staging of aircraft cargo or baggage.
- Train new employees in areas such as safety procedures or equipment operation.
- Distribute cargo to maximize use of space.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Determine the quantity and orientation of cargo, and compute an aircraft's center of gravity.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Critical Thinking, Management of Personnel Resources, Active Listening, Time Management.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $58,170 a year and 900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- NO MATCHCIP 99.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators
- Airfield Operations Specialists$56,850 · +7.8%
- Transportation Inspectors$92,100 · +2.2%
- First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants
- First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.