MA000048CurrentTransport, logistics and maritime

Airline Operations - Ground Staff Award

The key to this award is not the title. It is the Schedule A stream and level that actually fits the work. Businesses usually get into trouble by assuming it only covers ramp staff, by moving employees up or down without checking the stream rules, or by running rosters and payroll settings that do not match the classification chosen.

Consolidated through
1 July 2026
Source checked
1 August 2026
Read the current official award
Award coverage depends on the employer's industry and the work the employee actually performs. Job titles alone do not decide coverage. Check the coverage and classification clauses, any enterprise agreement, and the official award before changing pay or employment conditions.

Who this award covers

The Airline Operations - Ground Staff Award can apply to employers in the airline operations industry and employees who fit a Schedule A classification. Despite the title, Schedule A is broader than ramp work alone. It includes aviation transport workers, clerical and support employees, maintenance and engineering employees, and storepersons and logistics employees. Coverage still turns on the actual work performed and, if another award may also apply, which award classification is the most appropriate fit.

Businesses and work usually covered

  • On-airport servicing of aircraft used for commercial passenger or freight air transport.
  • On-airport servicing of aircraft used for private business and instructional flying from an Australian base.
  • Ground handling, baggage, freight, ramp, catering, cleaning and aircraft servicing work that fits the aviation transport worker stream.
  • Airline clerical, administrative and support work, maintenance and engineering work, and supply or logistics work that fits Schedule A.
  • On-hire employees and group training apprentices or trainees while they perform covered work, subject to the award's exclusions.

When another award or arrangement may apply

  • Employees excluded from award coverage by the Fair Work Act.
  • Employees covered by a modern enterprise award, enterprise instrument, State reference public sector modern award or State reference public sector transitional award, and employers in relation to those employees.
  • Employees whose work is more appropriately classified under another modern award after applying the multiple-award test in clause 4.6.
  • Workers whose duties do not fit a Schedule A classification in this award.

Roles and classifications

The award contains classification levels that connect an employee's duties, skills and responsibility to a minimum rate. Common role descriptions include:

  • Aviation transport workers from trainee airline services operator to senior co-ordinator levels.
  • Clerical, administrative and support employees classified by competency and skill.
  • Maintenance and engineering employees from Aircraft Worker 1 through tradesperson, AME and licence holder levels.
  • Storepersons and logistics employees from Level 1 to Level 5.

A familiar job title is only a starting point. Match the employee's real duties against the classification definitions and keep a written record of the level selected.

Rules employers need to check

Classify By Stream And Actual Duties

4.1, 4.6, 13.1, Schedule A

The first compliance task is choosing the right stream and confirming that this award is the best fit for the work actually being done.

  • Start with the stream that actually matches the work: aviation transport workers, clerical and support, maintenance and engineering, or storepersons and logistics.
  • If another award may also touch the business, use clause 4.6 to decide which classification is most appropriate to the work and work environment.
  • Do not treat the award title as the answer. The Schedule A structure controls coverage.

Use Each Stream's Progression Rules

Schedule A.1.1, Schedule A.2.2, Schedule A.3.1, Schedule A.3.2

Progression rules differ across the streams, so payroll should not rely on time served alone or on broad labels like junior, senior or trainee.

  • Aviation transport worker Level 1 is an entrance level with 6 months of induction and training, but progression still depends on meeting the listed minimum standards.
  • Aircraft Worker 1 is an induction level for up to 38 hours of training and is reclassified to Aircraft Worker 2 within 3 months.
  • The clerical stream is driven by competency and skill, not by how long the employee has been around.

Separate Senior And Specialised Roles Properly

Schedule A.1.5, Schedule A.1.8, Schedule A.3.5, Schedule A.4.4

Senior roles are not just ordinary operator or warehouse roles with a different title. The schedule gives them separate indicators and they should be checked carefully.

  • Co-ordinator levels add supervision, training, reporting and broader operational responsibility.
  • Licensed engineering classifications depend on the qualification held and whether the employer requires the employee to exercise the licence privileges.
  • Higher storeperson levels add supervision, hazardous goods responsibility, staff training and section or group control.

Set Part-Time And Casual Terms Correctly

10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 11.1

Employment type settings matter under this award, especially where businesses mix permanent rosters with short-notice operational coverage.

  • Part-time employees must be engaged on a reasonably predictable basis and rostered for at least 4 consecutive hours on a shift.
  • Part-time day workers need a written agreement about their guaranteed hours or the days and actual start and finish times.
  • Casuals receive the ordinary hourly rate plus the casual loading and are entitled to a 4 hour minimum payment on each attendance.

Check Rosters Against The Award's Hours Rules

14.2, 15.1, 16, 17

Once classification is correct, the next risk is using a roster model that does not fit the award's own day work and shiftwork rules.

  • Day work generally sits within the award's spread of hours, with weekend ordinary hours only by agreement and with Saturday or Sunday payment consequences.
  • Shiftworkers have separate rules on roster notice, shift rates, meal breaks and weekend or public holiday penalties.
  • Twelve hour shifts require majority agreement and supporting safeguards.

Tie Payroll Back To The Correct Stream

18.1, 18.7, 20, 24

Classification and payroll are linked. A correct level is only the first step; the matching higher duties, allowance and overtime rules also need to be applied.

  • Minimum rates and allowances are stream-specific, so payroll has to be matched to the right classification first.
  • If an employee performs a higher class of work for a day or shift, clause 18.7 requires payment at the higher rate for the whole day or shift.
  • Overtime and Sunday work must then be checked against the award's separate operative clauses.

Pay rates, penalties and allowances

The safest way to check a current rate is to start with the employee's classification, employment type and working pattern, then use Fair Work's current pay guide or Pay and Conditions Tool. Rates can change after an Annual Wage Review or an award variation.

Open the official pay guideFair Work OmbudsmanCalculate pay and conditionsFair Work PACT

Common workplace examples

A Ramp Employee Starts Signing Aircraft Loading Documents

Schedule A.1.7 is the first level that specifically covers responsibility for loading and unloading aircraft, checking safety locks, locking cargo doors and signing the loading documentation. That is a strong sign the role needs to be reviewed above the ordinary operator levels.

An Office Employee Gets A New Title But The Work Stays Much The Same

Schedule A.2.1 and A.2.2 say clerical and support employees are classified by the competency and skill required, with the characteristics being the primary guide. A new title on its own is not enough to change the level.

A Maintenance Employee Is Directed To Perform Higher Level Work For A Shift

Clause 18.7 says an employee required to perform a higher class of work on a day or shift must be paid at the higher rate for the whole day or shift. The temporary assignment should therefore be checked against the higher engineering classification, not left at the old rate for convenience.

A Storeperson Starts Running A Shift

Storeperson Level 4 requires all Level 3 qualifications plus responsibility for the efficient operation of a shift or section with significant administration or supervision. If the employee is genuinely running the shift and carrying those responsibilities, the storeperson stream should be reviewed at that higher level.

Recent changes to this award

PR799280, PR799328, PR799485

The current consolidated award incorporates these recent variation determinations. Use the consolidated wording when checking any affected clause, schedule, rate or allowance.

Affected: 16 - Breaks, 17 - Special provisions for shiftworkers, 18 - Minimum rates, 20 - Allowances, Schedule B - Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay, Schedule C - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule E - Supported Wage System, Schedule F - National Training Wage

What to do next

  • List every covered role by stream before checking pay rates or rosters.
  • For aviation transport worker roles, record the equipment used, loading responsibility and supervisory content of the job.
  • For clerical and support roles, keep a short note showing the competency and accountability features that justify the level chosen.
  • Review maintenance and engineering roles separately from ground handling roles, especially where licences or AME duties are involved.
  • Check part-time agreements and casual minimum engagements before relying on flexible rostering.
  • Audit higher duties, overtime and Sunday work whenever duties change across streams.

Common questions

Does this award only deal with ramp and baggage staff?

No. Clause 4.1 ties coverage to the classifications in Schedule A, and Schedule A includes aviation transport workers, clerical and support employees, maintenance and engineering employees, and storepersons and logistics employees. The title does not limit the award to baggage and ramp roles.

Does six months alone move a trainee to the next level?

No. Schedule A.1.1 makes Level 1 an entrance level with 6 months of on-the-job training and induction, but it also says the employee must meet and maintain the minimum standards before progressing.

Can office staff be classified by title alone?

No. Schedule A.2.1 and A.2.2 say the clerical, administrative and support stream is classified by the level of competency and skill the employee is required to exercise, with the characteristics being the primary guide.

Which level covers aircraft loading certification work?

Schedule A.1.7 is the first level that specifically covers responsibility for loading and unloading aircraft, checking safety locks, locking cargo doors and signing the loading documentation.

Does the award treat engineering and licensed maintenance roles separately?

Yes. The maintenance and engineering stream has its own structure from Aircraft Worker 1 through tradesperson, AME and licence holder classifications, and coverage depends on both the qualification held and whether the employee is required to exercise the relevant licence privileges.

Official sources and related help

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Modern award coverage and classification depend on the facts. Check the current official award and get advice for your business before relying on this page.

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