How to become an aircraft service attendant
Official title: Aircraft service attendant
Also called: Aircraft service agent, Baggage handler, Aircraft cleaner, Baggage handling agent, Ramp agent, Ramp services agent
Aircraft service attendants do service tasks on aircraft like restocking food, water and other supplies for passengers and crew. They may clean aircraft and handle baggage.
Main tasks
- Complete service tasks on aircraft
- Restock food, water and other supplies
- Clean inside aircraft
- Handle and move passenger luggage
- Record maintenance and repair details
- Fix simple equipment problems
- Coordinate work with team members
- Keep work areas clean and safe
How to become one
You usually learn on the job to become an aircraft service attendant and experience and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Required: a driver licence; to pass a medical assessment and drug test; to pass a security check and get an Airport Identity Card (AIC). Other requirements: experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Aviation (Ground Handling) (Level 3); an Airside Driving Permit (ADP).
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in aircraft operation. TEC links this job to study in aerospace engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Aviation (General Aviation), NZ Dip in Aviation, NZ Dip in Aviation (Aeroplane Airline Preparation). Usually 1.5 to 2 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $51,000 a year one year after study and $71,000 five years after; 73% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change
- Median pay: $64,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $107,000 a year
- TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $30.77 an hour.
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 99 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become an aircraft service attendant?
You usually learn on the job to become an aircraft service attendant and experience and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Required: a driver licence; to pass a medical assessment and drug test; to pass a security check and get an Airport Identity Card (AIC). Other requirements: experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Aviation (Ground Handling) (Level 3); an Airside Driving Permit (ADP).
How much does an aircraft service attendant earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $64,000 a year, before tax.
Has the number of people working as an aircraft service attendant grown in New Zealand?
It has shrunk: TEC records a decrease in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026