Background: Occupational stress and its impact on health have been increasingly recognized in various industries, including aviation. This cross-sectional study focuses on assessing perceived stress and salivary cortisol levels as potential contributors to cardio-metabolic syndrome among male airport workers.. Materials and methods: A total of 200 male participants, 100 regular night shift workers and 100 day shift workers ,aged 25 to 40 years, were randomly selected at Chennai International Airport. Perceived stress scale (PSS) used to estimate the stress levels among the participants. In addition, salivary cortisol levels were assessed from all the participants at morning, afternoon, and night. Results: Night workers exhibited significantly (p<0.05) higher PSS score (mean score of 24) compared to day workers (mean PSS score of 13). Salivary cortisol patterns also differed significantly (p<0.05), with night workers displaying elevated cortisol levels during the night compared to day workers. The study further identified associations between night shift work(OR = 12.3, 95% CI: 1.54-27), age above 30 years (OR: OR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.27-15.6), and physical inactivity (OR = 9.55, 95% CI: 5.95-15.33, p < 0.001), with the stress level, emphasizing potential risk factors.