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Industry · Form 5500 business code 488100
Support Activities for Air Transportation: retirement plans
Plans whose sponsor entered this principal business activity code on Form 5500.
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. The business code is chosen by the filer from the list in the Form 5500 instructions.
For plan year 2024, 73 retirement plans in support activities for air transportation with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500: 71 defined contribution and 2 defined benefit. They reported 140,994 participant records and $4.56B in net assets, counting every plan on the form.
The median defined contribution plan held $33,818 per participant, well below the national median of $53,031, and its employer put in $1,803 per active participant (national: $2,174). Among plans reporting Schedule C compensation the median was $121 per participant against $123 nationally.
Employers contributed $217M and participants $330M during the year, and the plans paid out $518M in benefits.
In 2009 the same group numbered 85 plans with $1.05B; by 2024 it was 73 plans (down 14%) and $4.56B (up 332%). From plan year 2023 the 100-participant line counts participants with account balances, which moved many plans to the short form.
Medians compared with all US plans
| Median plan, plan year 2024 | Industry: DC | US: DC | Industry: DB | US: DB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $33,818 | $53,031 | $42,694 | $86,234 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $1,803 | $2,174 | $86,576 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $121 | $123 | $365 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.33% | 0.26% | 0.93% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $116 | $116 | $546 | $527 |
Medians across plans with 100 or more participants (70 DC and 2 DB plans with a Schedule H here). Fee medians cover plans reporting an amount. DC: defined contribution, such as 401(k) and 403(b). DB: defined benefit pension.
Distribution of DC plans
| Measure | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $16,665 | $33,818 | $62,830 | 70 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $814 | $1,803 | $2,556 | 69 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $54.87 | $121 | $200 | 67 |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $51.81 | $116 | $186 | 70 |
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Plans 100+ | Participants | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Median DC assets / participant | Median DC Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 73 | 140,994 | $4.56B | $217M | $330M | $33,818 | $121 |
| 2023 | 73 | 113,769 | $3.79B | $188M | $261M | $32,994 | $109 |
| 2022 | 88 | 108,463 | $2.95B | $153M | $233M | $22,243 | $112 |
| 2021 | 92 | 104,903 | $3.44B | $125M | $201M | $31,115 | $112 |
| 2020 | 91 | 95,486 | $3.05B | $99.7M | $180M | $28,316 | $107 |
| 2019 | 87 | 98,092 | $2.66B | $102M | $181M | $22,770 | $88.63 |
| 2018 | 84 | 91,683 | $2.14B | $72.4M | $141M | $22,596 | $54.82 |
| 2017 | 79 | 79,724 | $2.20B | $65.0M | $124M | $24,321 | $71.33 |
| 2016 | 81 | 67,034 | $1.93B | $69.8M | $113M | $21,636 | $37.64 |
| 2015 | 73 | 67,446 | $1.79B | $60.0M | $107M | $23,229 | $41.39 |
| 2014 | 75 | 67,184 | $1.73B | $57.8M | $94.5M | $20,766 | $33.75 |
| 2013 | 76 | 80,484 | $1.59B | $55.4M | $81.3M | $17,365 | $26.65 |
| 2012 | 77 | 79,111 | $1.23B | $53.6M | $80.7M | $14,605 | $26.84 |
| 2011 | 75 | 83,191 | $1.10B | $51.6M | $77.4M | $13,427 | $18.59 |
| 2010 | 76 | 75,593 | $1.10B | $47.7M | $65.9M | $15,094 | $19.16 |
| 2009 | 85 | 65,776 | $1.05B | $45.9M | $69.4M | $13,733 | $16.62 |
Plan year is the year in which the plan year began. The drop in large plans from 2023 follows a rule change: the 100-participant line now counts participants with account balances, so many plans moved to the short form.
Provider share
Service provider organisations named most often on the Schedule C of the 73 plans on this page's list, by number of plans. A plan usually names several providers.
Largest plans
The 40 largest by participants of 73 plans with a page on this site.
| Plan | Sponsor | State | Type | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V2X 401(k) Retirement Plan | V2X, Inc. | MS | DC | 16,926 | $644M | $38,073 | $2,556 | $67.05 |
| Worldwide Flight Services, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Worldwide Flight Services, Inc. | TX | DC | 16,245 | $83.3M | $5,130 | $355 | $36.92 |
| Swissport North America Holdings, Inc. 401(k) Savings and Retirement Plan | Swissport North America Holdings, Inc. | NC | DC | 12,439 | $174M | $13,951 | $687 | $45.91 |
| Menzies Aviation (USA), Inc. 401(k) Plan | Menzie's Aviation (USA), Inc. | TX | DC | 10,498 | $81.8M | $7,788 | $355 | $27.52 |
| Agi-Cfi Holdings, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Agi-Cfi Holdings, Inc. | FL | DC | 10,064 | $34.3M | $3,409 | $238 | $22.84 |
| G2 Secure Staff, L.L.C. Employees Savings Trust | G2 Secure Staff, L.L.C. | TX | DC | 9,585 | $19.7M | $2,057 | $45 | $33.86 |
| Frontier Airlines, Inc. 401(k) Retirement Plan | Frontier Airlines, Inc. | CO | DC | 8,889 | $962M | $108,215 | $8,660 | $290 |
| Aar Corp. Retirement Savings Plan | Aar Corp. | IL | DC | 7,646 | $605M | $79,100 | $3,056 | $53.29 |
| Signature Aviation | Signature Aviation | FL | DC | 6,415 | $304M | $47,459 | $1,574 | $75.41 |
| M1 Support Services, L.P. 401(k) Plan | M1 Support Services, L.P. | TX | DC | 6,024 | $172M | $28,479 | $3,479 | $46.23 |
| Standardaero 401(k) Savings Plan | Standardaero Business Aviation Services, Inc. | AZ | DC | 5,286 | $406M | $76,819 | $3,150 | $28.30 |
| Haeco Americas 401(k) Plan | Haeco Americas | NC | DC | 2,406 | $94.0M | $39,050 | $1,481 | $126 |
| West Star Aviation, LLC 401(k) Plan | West Star Aviation, LLC West Star Aviation | IL | DC | 2,204 | $126M | $57,303 | $2,479 | $180 |
| Hallmark Aviation Services, LP 401(k) Plan | Hallmark Aviation Services, LP | CA | DC | 1,672 | $22.3M | $13,334 | $1,108 | $105 |
| Metro Aviation, Inc. Employees' Deferred Saving and Retirement Plan | Metro Aviation, Inc. | LA | DC | 1,478 | $152M | $102,706 | $4,438 | $287 |
| Bba Aviation Defined Benefit Plan | Signature Aviation USA, LLC | FL | DB | 1,377 | $29.1M | $21,157 | $167,500 | $229 |
| Flightstar Aircraft Services, LLC 401(k) | Flightstar Aircraft Services, LLC | FL | DC | 1,023 | $17.5M | $17,064 | $967 | $108 |
| Jetstream Ground Services, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Jetstream Ground Services, Inc. | FL | DC | 1,020 | $3.0M | $2,930 | $396 | $200 |
| Midwest Atc Service 401(k) & Pension Plan | Midwest Air Traffic Control Service, Inc. | KS | DC | 884 | $62.2M | $70,409 | $7,800 | $201 |
| Inland Technologies International Limited 401(k) Plan | Inland Technologies International Limited | — | DC | 883 | $11.9M | $13,489 | $581 | $22.12 |
| Fly Exclusive 401(k) Plan | Exclusive Jets, LLC DBA Fly Exclusive | NC | DC | 790 | $17.9M | $22,679 | $3,910 | $55.70 |
| Sheltair Resources 401(k) Plan | Sheltair Resources, LLC | FL | DC | 729 | $14.8M | $20,277 | $814 | $255 |
| Planesense, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Planesense, Inc. | NH | DC | 704 | $44.6M | $63,367 | $3,005 | $203 |
| Avports LLC 401(k) Plan | Avports LLC | VA | DC | 633 | $39.7M | $62,705 | $2,484 | $70.76 |
| FSM Group LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | FSM Group LLC | FL | DC | 626 | $4.9M | $7,833 | $520 | $77.21 |
| Trailboss Enterprises, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Trailboss Enterprises | AK | DC | 583 | $6.7M | $11,504 | $1,803 | $123 |
| Ga Telesis, LLC Profit Sharing Plan | Ga Telesis, LLC | FL | DC | 579 | $22.7M | $39,189 | $1,961 | $91.17 |
| Tbi Airport Management, Inc. Employee Savings Plan | Tbi Airport Management, Inc. | GA | DC | 560 | $36.8M | $65,627 | $2,474 | $239 |
| Allied Aviation New York Services Pension Plan | Allied New York Services, Inc. | NY | DB | 536 | $34.4M | $64,231 | $5,652 | $502 |
| Modern Aviation 401(k) Plan | Modern Aviation, Inc. | TX | DC | 514 | $7.0M | $13,673 | $1,016 | $120 |
| Aviation Security Management, LLC 401(k) Plan | Aviation Security Management, LLC | VA | DC | 476 | $6.5M | $13,709 | $4,848 | $29.17 |
| Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems LLC 401(k) Savings and Retirement Plan | Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems, LLC | SC | DC | 465 | $20.0M | $43,024 | $1,661 | $133 |
| Ascent Aviation Services, LLC 401(k) Plan | Ascent Aviation Services, LLC | AZ | DC | 442 | $7.5M | $16,861 | $694 | $85.26 |
| Elliott Aviation, LLC. Employee's Savings & Profit Sharing Plan | Elliott Aviation, LLC. | IL | DC | 430 | $39.2M | $91,182 | $2,248 | $298 |
| Flight Check 401(k) Plan | Flight Check, LLC | IL | DC | 368 | $12.7M | $34,407 | $2,284 | $14.92 |
| Transport Workers Union of America Local 513 Retirement Plan | Transport Workers Union of America Local 513 | TX | DC | 336 | $7.6M | $22,642 | $1,361 | $215 |
| Complete Turbine Services LLC 401(k) Plan | Complete Turbine Services, LLC | FL | DC | 334 | $11.1M | $33,229 | $2,588 | $15.34 |
| SFH, Inc. 401(k) Retirement Plan | SFH, Inc. | ND | DC | 334 | $20.3M | $60,901 | $1,750 | $247 |
| HRD Aero Systems, Inc. 401(k) Plan | HRD Aero Systems, Inc. | CA | DC | 332 | $18.5M | $55,623 | $1,194 | $258 |
| Precision Aviation Group 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Keystone Turbine Services, LLC | GA | DC | 329 | $17.7M | $53,885 | $2,353 | $147 |
By plan size
By state
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans are there in support activities for air transportation?
73 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024, out of 97 pension plans on the full form. Smaller plans file Form 5500-SF and are counted separately where shown.
What is the typical 401(k) balance in support activities for air transportation?
The median defined contribution plan reported $33,818 in net assets per participant (middle half of plans: $16,665 to $62,830); nationally it was $53,031. This is a plan-level average that includes former employees, not a typical person's balance.
What do employers contribute in support activities for air transportation?
The median defined contribution plan received $1,803 in employer contributions per active participant, against $2,174 nationally. Plans with no employer contribution are included at zero.
What are average 401(k) fees in support activities for air transportation?
Among defined contribution plans that report any Schedule C compensation, the median was $121 per participant and 0.33% of net assets (nationally $123 and 0.26%). Schedule C leaves out fund expense ratios and fees the employer pays, so it understates total cost.
Where does this come from?
Form 5500 annual reports in the EBSA research files, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Medians are computed by this site across plans with 100 or more participants.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Totals count every pension plan on the full form; medians and the plan list cover plans with 100 or more participants. See the methodology.