Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code ECR

Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors

Supervise and coordinate the activities of ground crew in the loading, unloading, securing, and staging of aircraft cargo or baggage. May determine the quantity and orientation of cargo and compute aircraft center of gravity. May accompany aircraft as member of flight crew and monitor and handle cargo in flight, and assist and brief passengers on safety and emergency procedures. Includes loadmasters.

Also called: Cargo Supervisor, Line Service Supervisor (LSS), Loadmaster, Ramp Supervisor, Ground Operations Supervisor, Ramp and Cargo Supervisor.

O*NET 53-1041.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $58,170; Middle half earn $49,820 to $78,530. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 64% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Calculate load weights for different aircraft compartments, using charts and computers.
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.
Accompany aircraft as a member of the flight crew to monitor and handle cargo in flight.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
Active Listening3.6 / 5
Speaking3.6 / 5
Monitoring3.6 / 5
Learning Strategies3.5 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.3 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.7 / 5
Public Safety and Security4.4 / 5
Transportation4.3 / 5
English Language4.3 / 5
Administration and Management3.8 / 5
Administrative3.7 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic60
Investigative20
Artistic0
Social25
Enterprising73
Conventional63

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

air traffic manager · DE Luftverkehrsleiter/Luftverkehrsleiterin · FR superviseur trafic aérien/superviseuse trafic aérien
airspace manager · DE Luftraummanager/Luftraummanagerin · FR responsable de la gestion de l'espace aérien
aviation safety officer · DE Sicherheitsbeauftragter Luftverkehr/Sicherheitsbeauftragte Luftverkehr · FR agent de sûreté aérienne/agente de sûreté aérienne
aircraft pilot · DE Flugzeugführer/Flugzeugführerin · FR pilote d’avion
co-pilot · DE Kopilot/Kopilotin · FR copilote
airline transport pilot · DE Linienflugzeugführer/Linienflugzeugführerin · FR pilote de ligne aérienne

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Aircraft pilots and air traffic controllers (3511)33,200 employed
Purchasing managers and directors (1134)61,700 employed
Directors in logistics, warehousing and transport (1140)30,300 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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