Other Airport Operations Revenue Benchmarks
The average other airport operations business in the United States generates $10.3M in annual revenue, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB 2021). There are 1,054 other airport operations businesses in the U.S., employing 101,555 workers with an average profit margin of 5.0%. The average employee in this industry earns $42K per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2023).
What Does a Other Airport Operations Business Actually Do?
Ground handling, aircraft fueling, catering, and de-icing at airports. Include Menzies Aviation, Swissport, DHL Aviation.
Who buys: Airlines, airport authorities, business aviation.
Average Revenue
$10.3M
per year
Profit Margin
5.0%
industry average
Revenue / Employee
$107K
per year
Total Businesses
1,054
in the US
Est. Owner Income
$513K
small business avg
Labor Cost
35.0%
of revenue
Avg Employee Wage
$42K
per year (BLS)
Market Saturation
0.3
firms per 100K people
How Much Do Other Airport Operations Charge?
Ground handling, fueling, catering, and de-icing services at airports.
| Service | Typical range |
|---|---|
Ground handling per aircraft turn | $500–3,500 |
Aviation fuel margin per gallon | $0.20–0.80/gal |
De-icing (per aircraft) | $500–5,000 |
Airline catering per meal | $5–25 per meal |
Ranges based on industry rate surveys and typical published pricing. Actual quotes vary by city, business size, and job complexity.
Complete other airport operations business plan
A 12-section data-backed business plan for a other airport operations business — executive summary, market analysis, competitive landscape, revenue model, 3-year financial projections, operations, marketing, staffing, funding request. Pre-populated with real Census, IRS, and BLS data on this industry. Free to view.
Cost Structure — Where Every $100 in Revenue Goes
Approximate P&L breakdown for the other airport operations industry. Labor share and net profit are grounded in Census SUSB and IRS SOI data. Other lines are split using sector-typical ratios.
| Category | Per $100 revenue | Per typical business | What's in it |
|---|---|---|---|
Fuel & vehicle costs | $30 | $3.1M | Fuel is often the single biggest line — plus tires, maintenance, tolls. |
Wages & benefits | $35 | $3.6M | Payroll for all employees at the business (owner comp not included for small owner-operators). |
Rent & facilities | $6 | $616K | Rent or mortgage on business location plus utilities tied to the space. |
Marketing & advertising | $3 | $308K | Google/Meta ads, SEO, print, referral fees, event sponsorships. |
Other operating costs | $21 | $2.2M | Insurance (very high), truck payments, dispatching software, driver benefits. |
Net profit | $5 | $513K | What remains for the owner or shareholders after all business expenses. |
Directionally accurate for a typical business in the industry. Individual businesses vary widely — a franchise may run a very different cost mix from an independent, and older established businesses often have lower labor share than newer ones.
Average Revenue by Business Size
Industry Dynamics (Census BDS 2023)
New Business Rate
10.93%
openings/year
Closure Rate
7.08%
closings/year
Net Job Growth
+14.13%
annual
Businesses Closed
296
in 2023
Firm Count Trend
Should You Start a Other Airport Operations Business?
Startup Cost
$50K – $250K
Break-Even
4 months
5-Year Survival Rate
50.0%
Related Industries
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does a other airport operations business do?
- Ground handling, aircraft fueling, catering, and de-icing at airports. Include Menzies Aviation, Swissport, DHL Aviation. Airlines, airport authorities, business aviation.
- How much do other airport operations charge?
- Ground handling, fueling, catering, and de-icing services at airports. See the pricing table above for typical rates by service type.
- How much does the average other airport operations make per year?
- The average other airport operations business generates $10.3M in annual revenue, based on U.S. Census Bureau data (SUSB 2021). After expenses, the estimated owner profit is $513K per year at a 5.0% profit margin.
- How many other airport operations businesses are there in the US?
- There are 1,054 other airport operations businesses operating in the United States, employing a total of 101,555 workers.
- How much does it cost to start a other airport operations business?
- Startup costs for a other airport operations business typically range from $50K to $250K, with a 5-year survival rate of 50.0%.
- What is the average salary in the other airport operations industry?
- The average employee in the other airport operations industry earns $42K per year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data (QCEW 2023).
Industry Growth & Survival
The other airport operations industry is actively growing — adding jobs at a net rate of 14.1% per year. New establishments are opening faster than existing ones close (10.9% entry vs 7.1% exit), indicating healthy demand.
Approximately 69% of other airport operations businesses survive their first 5 years. This is above the national average (~50%), making it a relatively safe industry to enter. In 2023, 296 firms in this industry closed permanently.
Employment & Wages
The average employee in the other airport operations industry earns $41,676/year. This is below the national average of ~$65K — typical for this sector. With 2,100 establishments employing 117,492 people, the typical business has about 56 employees. These tend to be larger operations requiring significant staffing investment.
Industry Trend (2000–2023)
The other airport operations industry has grown 26% since 2000 (from 3,138 to 3,965 firms).
See full historical statistics →Compare Other Airport Operations revenue with other industries: