Airline Operations Controller

Airline Operations Controller leads small teams and these 20 real tasks show the hands-on leadership moments you’ll face. Tasks make clear who you coach, when you step in, and how to keep work on track. Each one shows where we found it, and comes with an AI prompt you can copy and use straight away.

20evidenced tasks
20ready prompts
7tools of the trade
11-3031.01O*NET-SOC code
841,710hold this job (US, BLS 2025)
$166,570median pay/yr (US)
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What it pays

Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.

Half of all Financial Managers in the U.S. earn more than $166,570 a year — the middle 80% land between $94,310 and $323,270. About 841,710 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Financial Managers”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Managers earn about ₹50,473 a month on average — around ₹6.1 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$166,570typical pay / year
841,710people in this work
$323,270+top 10% earn
₹6.1 lakha year in India (family avg)
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The work, task by task

These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.

Keeping the record5

Prepare financial statements

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Prepare the monthly airline operations financial statement with profit and loss, cash flow and variance…
Prepare the monthly airline operations financial statement with profit and loss, cash flow and variance notes, reconcile ticketing and fuel subaccounts, and deliver the draft to finance and the CFO by next Wednesday for review.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsWikipedia

Manage government or organizational funds

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Create the fund-management plan for the government grant: allocate monthly budgets to operations, maintenance…
Create the fund-management plan for the government grant: allocate monthly budgets to operations, maintenance and contingency, set approval limits, and produce the audit trail files to hand to compliance by the 1st of next month.
The tools that do the workSAPO*NETWikipedia

Perform tax planning work.

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Prepare a fleet-level tax planning memo that reconciles last fiscal year's fuel and landing tax entries,…
Prepare a fleet-level tax planning memo that reconciles last fiscal year's fuel and landing tax entries, outlines projected taxable events for the next quarter, lists required supporting invoices, and flag any exposures over $50,000 for review by finance by Thursday.
The tools that do the workSAPESCOO*NET

Revise financial forecasts

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Update the quarterly revenue and cost forecasts to reflect this month's block hour variance and recent fuel…
Update the quarterly revenue and cost forecasts to reflect this month's block hour variance and recent fuel hedging movements, produce a sensitivity table showing passenger demand +/-10%, and circulate the updated forecast to Network Planning and Finance by Wednesday morning.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft OutlookESCOjob descriptions

Ensure accurate record-keeping

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Audit the operations ledger for the past six months, correct any missing flight-level cost allocations,…
Audit the operations ledger for the past six months, correct any missing flight-level cost allocations, ensure each transaction has a supplier invoice or fuel receipt attached, and upload the cleaned record set to central finance with a reconciliation note by Friday.
The tools that do the workOracle PeopleSoftESCOjob descriptions
Care1

Supervise accounting staff

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Set up weekly supervision for the accounting team: review open invoices, approve journal entries over five…
Set up weekly supervision for the accounting team: review open invoices, approve journal entries over five thousand, assign audit follow-ups, and prepare the staff performance notes for the monthly meeting on Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
The daily work14

Oversee cash flow and liquidity

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Review the cash forecast for the next 90 days, update actuals from last week’s bank statement and ticket…
Review the cash forecast for the next 90 days, update actuals from last week’s bank statement and ticket sales, flag any projected shortfalls over 48 hours, and prepare a one-page briefing for Martin in finance by Wednesday noon.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptionsO*NET

Advise management on short-term and long-term financial objectives, policies, and actions.

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Draft a recommendation that links the three-year liquidity target to fleet lease schedules and runway…
Draft a recommendation that links the three-year liquidity target to fleet lease schedules and runway maintenance costs, show the cash impact under three scenarios, and circulate to CEO Laura and the board finance committee before the monthly finance review.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft ExcelO*NET

Receive, record, and authorize requests for disbursements in accordance with company policies and procedures.

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Process the disbursement requests queue, verify each against vendor contracts and the approval matrix,…
Process the disbursement requests queue, verify each against vendor contracts and the approval matrix, authorise payments under the daily limit, hold anything over the limit for Anna in procurement, and log entries into the payments register by end of day.
The tools that do the workOracle PeopleSoftO*NET

Compute, withhold, and account for all payroll deductions.

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Run payroll deduction reports for this pay period, reconcile tax withholdings and benefits deductions to the…
Run payroll deduction reports for this pay period, reconcile tax withholdings and benefits deductions to the payroll register, correct any mismatches with HR before Friday payroll run, and file the reconciliation notes to the personnel ledger.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelSAPO*NET

Determine depreciation rates to apply to capitalized items and advise management on actions regarding the purchase, lease, or disposal of such items.

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Calculate depreciation schedules for the newly capitalised ground service equipment using existing policy…
Calculate depreciation schedules for the newly capitalised ground service equipment using existing policy rates, model alternate useful lives and their EBITDA impact, then advise procurement and fleet on whether to buy, lease, or retire by next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET

Coordinate audits and internal controls

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Assemble the audit pack with month-end reconciliations, update the internal controls checklist with recent…
Assemble the audit pack with month-end reconciliations, update the internal controls checklist with recent exceptions, schedule the external auditors’ walkthrough with Sophie in compliance, and circulate the pack to the audit team two days before fieldwork.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptions

Financial statements

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Produce the month-end financial statements for route operations: consolidate ticket revenue, fuel and…
Produce the month-end financial statements for route operations: consolidate ticket revenue, fuel and handling costs, crew allowances and irregular operations expenses, confirm journals tie to the general ledger, then circulate the signed PDFs to finance and the station manager by Tuesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft OutlookESCOsee the evidence ↗

Prepare financial auditing reports

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Compile the operational audit package for the quarter: extract transaction logs for revenue, refunds and PAX…
Compile the operational audit package for the quarter: extract transaction logs for revenue, refunds and PAX load factors, map them to ledger entries, document any variances with evidence and control notes, and deliver the audit-ready binder to internal audit by Friday morning.
The tools that do the workSAPMicrosoft WordESCOsee the evidence ↗

Monitor investment activities

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Review the month-to-date investment ledger, flag any trades outside policy limits, reconcile yields against…
Review the month-to-date investment ledger, flag any trades outside policy limits, reconcile yields against the treasury cash forecast, and send a one-page exception memo to finance and the CFO by Thursday morning.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptions

Optimize treasury operations

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Run a cashflow optimisation run for the quarter, propose three short-term funding strategies showing cost,…
Run a cashflow optimisation run for the quarter, propose three short-term funding strategies showing cost, risk and impact on liquidity, and circulate the recommendation to head of finance and the CEO for decision by next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workSAPMicrosoft Exceljob descriptions

Serve as the head of the treasury department

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Prepare the quarterly treasury performance pack, include cash positions, investment returns, counterparty…
Prepare the quarterly treasury performance pack, include cash positions, investment returns, counterparty exposure and compliance breaches, and present it to the executive committee in Friday's treasury meeting.
The tools that do the workOracle PeopleSoftMicrosoft PowerPointWikipedia

Report to higher officials such as the Secretary of the Treasury or Chancellor of the Exchequer

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Draft a succinct briefing for the Secretary showing current cash balances, projected deficits, financing…
Draft a succinct briefing for the Secretary showing current cash balances, projected deficits, financing options and recommended actions, attach the supporting schedules and request a clearance meeting this week.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft ExcelWikipedia

Coordinate the collection and allocation of revenue

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Compile daily revenue receipts, allocate by route and fare class, update the central revenue allocation…
Compile daily revenue receipts, allocate by route and fare class, update the central revenue allocation sheet, highlight shortfalls against budget and send instructions to commercial and accounting by 10:00 tomorrow.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft OutlookWikipedia

Manage the bank's accounts

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Reconcile all bank account statements for the month, investigate any unexplained variances over five…
Reconcile all bank account statements for the month, investigate any unexplained variances over five thousand, update the master bank register and submit the signed reconciliation pack to the controller on Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelESCO

Says who?

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The logs, files & records this job keeps

Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.

Related careers

Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.

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