Read the below interview with Mike Quilter about being an Airport Operations Manager at Edinburgh Airport.
Our Airport Operations Managers are out and about in the airport every day working with people across the campus to help the operation run smoothly.
Have you ever wondered how they do it? Or wondered if a role like this would be right for you?
What does an AOM do?
The short answer is that we try to ensure the airport runs smoothly. The long answer is that we coordinate all departments and third parties to ensure we work together. We deal with any incidents that arise and lead the airports Silver command response. We ensure all stakeholders and relevant parties are communicated with in a timely and accurate manner. We act as the airport threat assessor, dealing with potential or actual threats to the airport. We host meetings to coordinate project works. We collate response plans and SOPs to deal with a wide variety of scenarios. The list is endless! Luckily, we don’t tend to do this all at once, but you do get the odd day when things escalate, and you are dealing with a huge number of very high-profile events all at once.
What does a typical day look like?
There is no typical day! One day you could be helping to plan the arrival of world leaders for a climate conference and the next you could be dealing with a drone incident causing aircraft to be diverted to other airfields. Some days you don’t get out the office, others you visit coffee shops to discuss past or upcoming events. It’s such a varied job that most days are completely different.
Best thing about being an AOM
I like the unknown nature of the job. You could be hosting a meeting when you are suddenly called out to deal with an incident. You could, within 30 minutes, be hosting a conference call to the entire airport community to brief on why we are suspending operations, or you may just spend the day catching up on admin. You genuinely have no idea what the day has on store for you and that makes each day exciting. I couldn’t do a job that was repetitive, so the AOM role is perfect for me.
How did you get to being an AOM?
I left the military after spending 16 years as an officer doing UK air defence. I had no idea what I wanted to do but saw the AOM role advertised. Crisis management was a large part of my previous job and the AOM role looked like a good fit. I applied and was lucky enough to be successful even with my lack of civilian aviation experience. I have now been an AOM for six years.
Do you have any interesting stories to share?
Edinburgh airport was an ex-RAF base, so this interested me due to my previous career. One shift I received a call to say there had been some potential unexploded ordinance uncovered during project works. Immediate actions were to cordon the scene and get the bomb disposal team out. Turns out over 100 high explosive Spitfire cannon rounds had been unearthed. Not the thing you expect to happen in your average job and certainly made the day more interesting!
What skills do you need to be an AOM?
Decision making: You will be expected to make some pretty big decisions, and you need to have the confidence to do this, sometimes with little of no time to consider your thoughts.
Problem solving: Often you will have no clear resolution to a scenario or incident, so dynamic problem solving is vital.
Communication: The AOM is the main communicator to the business. Ensuring the correct teams know the relevant information is a must. The AOM must be able to communicate clearly and effectively via a variety of means.
What advice would you give to someone looking to apply to be an AOM?
Go for it. It’s hard to say what makes a good AOM. The job is so varied. Having airport knowledge and experience is a huge help though. Come spend a day with us. Anyone of the team would be happy to host you for a few hours to show you what we do and answer any questions you may have.