Air transport: average pay and jobs in the UK
Full-time employees in air transport earned a median £44,379 in the year to 5 April 2025 (ONS ASHE), £5,340 more than across all industries.
What the figures show
It ranks 26th of 84 divisions on this measure.
Part-time work is common: only 48% of jobs are full-time.
Full-time medians: women £37,560, men £46,674.
The median fell 28.2% from £1,135.80 in 2021.
The Business Register and Employment Survey counts 84,000 people working in it in Great Britain in 2024, up 12% since 2019; 48% are in London.
There were 1,125 business sites in March 2026, 60 of them employing 250 or more (UK Business Counts).
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £27,426 | £526.90 | £13.94 | £19,635 | £416.70 | £14.01 |
| 20th percentile | £32,635 | £572.80 | £14.86 | £26,463 | £522.70 | £15.05 |
| 25th percentile | £34,099 | £607.90 | £15.52 | £28,964 | £545.20 | £16.83 |
| 30th percentile | £36,079 | £662.80 | £16.98 | £32,153 | £573.40 | £17.94 |
| 40th percentile | £39,593 | £734.20 | £18.83 | £36,106 | £667.70 | £21.20 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £44,379 | £815.70 | £21.01 | £39,048 | £766.50 | £23.67 |
| 60th percentile | £47,766 | £905.20 | £23.31 | £45,013 | £856.50 | £26.75 |
| 70th percentile | £54,336* | £1,078.20* | £28.37* | £51,630* | £1,062.50 | £33.75 |
| 75th percentile | £60,486* | £1,181.90* | £31.52* | £60,093* | £1,213.90* | £36.09* |
| 80th percentile | £64,697* | – | £35.88* | £71,054* | £1,436.80* | £42.45* |
| Mean | £50,937 | £1,022.20 | £26.13 | £55,072 | £1,069.10 | £33.15 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | – | £1,135.80* | £28.47* | – | £1,094.10* | 11* |
| 2022 revised | – | £716.60 | £17.33 | – | £574.80 | 39 |
| 2023 revised | £36,410* | £677.80 | £17.49 | £30,661* | £635.10 | 56 |
| 2024 revised | £42,665 | £815.90 | £21.36 | £36,966 | £740.20 | 56 |
| 2025 provisional | £44,379 | £815.70 | £21.01 | £39,048 | £766.50 | 79 |
Where the 84,000 jobs are, 2024
| Region or nation | Employees | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| London | 40,000 | 40,000 |
| South East | 9,000 | 9,000 |
| East of England | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| North West | 7,000 | 7,000 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Scotland | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| West Midlands | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| South West | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| North East | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| East Midlands | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Wales | 600 | 600 |
| Great Britain | 84,000 | 84,000 |
1,125 business sites by size
| Staff | Sites, March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Micro (0 to 9) | 870 |
| Small (10 to 49) | 135 |
| Medium (50 to 249) | 60 |
| Large (250 or more) | 60 |
| Total | 1,125 |
2021: 1,325; 2022: 1,350; 2023: 1,305; 2024: 1,305; 2025: 1,225; 2026: 1,125.
Related
Transportation and storage · Water transport · Warehousing and support activities for transportation · UK average weekly earnings growth
ASHE Table 16: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · notes · 15 October 2026