Airport director to airport chief executive
An airport director already meets 44% of what the airport chief executive role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.1/ 100
1 How much of what an airport chief executive is expected to do is already part of an airport director’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the airport chief executive role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An airport chief executive role treats 12 of its required skills as things an airport director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- airport environmental regulations
- airport operating environment
- identify airport safety hazards
- implement airport emergency plans
- implement improvements in airport operations
- manage staff
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An airport chief executive role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an airport director background worth leading with.
- already held prepare airport annual budget management skills
- already held maintain inventory of airport operations information skills
- already held implement airport emergency plans communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held supervise maintenance activities in airports management skills
- already held implement improvements in airport operations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide assistance to airport users communication, collaboration and creativity
All 16 carried skills, including the 12 the airport chief executive role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn direct airport subcontractors required
- still to learn interact with airport stakeholders required
- still to learn liaise with colleagues required
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- still to learn monitor airport service performance required
- still to learn compile airport certification manuals required
- still to learn report airport security incidents required
- optional, not held conduct airport environmental studies optional
- optional, not held manage airport vehicle licences optional
- still to learn coordinate airport environmental policies required
- still to learn create an airport master plan required
- still to learn consider economic criteria in decision making required
- optional, not held manage airport workshops optional
- still to learn airport electrical systems required
- still to learn airport lighting equipment required
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn airport safety regulations required
- optional, not held visual aid systems in airports optional
- optional, not held comply with regulations on unpaved areas of airports optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an airport chief executive role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 monitor airport service performance practise this
- 02 airport electrical systems study this
- 03 airport lighting equipment study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held airport environmental regulations knowledge
- already held airport operating environment knowledge
- already held identify airport safety hazards skill
- already held implement airport emergency plans skill
- already held implement improvements in airport operations skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held prepare airport annual budget skill
- already held provide assistance to airport users skill
- already held show diplomacy skill
- already held supervise maintenance activities in airports skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held apply strategic thinking skill
- already held maintain inventory of airport operations skill
- already held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held ICT security standards optional
- optional, not held geostationary satellites optional
- optional, not held ensure functionality of airport lighting systems optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT security standards optional
- optional, not held comply with regulations on unpaved areas of airports optional
- optional, not held conduct airport environmental studies optional
- optional, not held ensure functionality of airport lighting systems optional
- optional, not held geostationary satellites optional
- optional, not held manage airport vehicle licences optional
- optional, not held manage airport workshops optional
- optional, not held visual aid systems in airports optional
13 held skills the airport chief executive role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply business acumen skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role ensure client orientation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role follow ethical code of conduct in transport services skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role implement sales strategies skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic management skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill
- not needed by the target role work in an aviation team skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn airport electrical systems required
- still to learn airport lighting equipment required
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn airport safety regulations required
- optional, not held ICT security standards optional
- optional, not held geostationary satellites optional
- optional, not held visual aid systems in airports optional
Common questions about this move
Can an airport director become an airport chief executive?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An airport director already covers 44% of what an airport chief executive is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 12 of which the airport chief executive role treats as required.
What skills does an airport director need to become an airport chief executive?
14 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is monitor airport service performance.
How hard is the move from airport director to airport chief executive?
Its learning distance is 63.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.