diff --git a/providers/cncf/kubernetes/src/airflow/providers/cncf/kubernetes/utils/pod_manager.py b/providers/cncf/kubernetes/src/airflow/providers/cncf/kubernetes/utils/pod_manager.py
index 2c2405b7fd4da..5dbefbd70a029 100644
--- a/providers/cncf/kubernetes/src/airflow/providers/cncf/kubernetes/utils/pod_manager.py
+++ b/providers/cncf/kubernetes/src/airflow/providers/cncf/kubernetes/utils/pod_manager.py
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@
 import asyncio
 import enum
 import json
+import logging
 import math
+import re
 import time
 from collections.abc import Callable, Generator, Iterable
 from contextlib import closing
@@ -74,6 +76,33 @@
 :meta private:
 """
 
+_POD_LOG_LEVEL_PATTERN = re.compile(
+    r"^\s*(?:\[)?(DEBUG|INFO|WARNING|WARN|ERROR|CRITICAL|FATAL)(?:\])?\s*[:\-]?\s*",
+    re.IGNORECASE,
+)
+_POD_LOG_LEVEL_MAP: dict[str, int] = {
+    "DEBUG": logging.DEBUG,
+    "INFO": logging.INFO,
+    "WARNING": logging.WARNING,
+    "WARN": logging.WARNING,
+    "ERROR": logging.ERROR,
+    "CRITICAL": logging.CRITICAL,
+    "FATAL": logging.CRITICAL,
+}
+
+
+def _parse_log_level(message: str) -> int:
+    """
+    Detect the Python logging level from a pod log line's prefix.
+
+    Recognises common formats: ``ERROR:``, ``[ERROR]``, ``WARNING -``, etc.
+    Returns ``logging.INFO`` when no known prefix is found (backwards-compatible).
+    """
+    match = _POD_LOG_LEVEL_PATTERN.match(message)
+    if match:
+        return _POD_LOG_LEVEL_MAP.get(match.group(1).upper(), logging.INFO)
+    return logging.INFO
+
 
 class XComRetrievalError(AirflowException):
     """When not possible to get xcom."""
@@ -436,18 +465,21 @@ def _log_message(
         container_name_log_prefix_enabled: bool,
         log_formatter: Callable[[str, str], str] | None,
     ) -> None:
-        """Log a message with appropriate formatting."""
+        """Log a message at the level detected from its prefix, with appropriate formatting."""
         if is_log_group_marker(message):
             print(message)
         else:
+            level = _parse_log_level(message)
             if log_formatter:
                 formatted_message = log_formatter(container_name, message)
-                self.log.info("%s", formatted_message)
             else:
-                log_message = (
+                formatted_message = (
                     f"[{container_name}] {message}" if container_name_log_prefix_enabled else message
                 )
-                self.log.info("%s", log_message)
+            if level == logging.INFO:
+                self.log.info("%s", formatted_message)
+            else:
+                self.log.log(level, "%s", formatted_message)
 
     def fetch_container_logs(
         self,
diff --git a/providers/cncf/kubernetes/tests/unit/cncf/kubernetes/utils/test_pod_manager.py b/providers/cncf/kubernetes/tests/unit/cncf/kubernetes/utils/test_pod_manager.py
index b5c57c4916780..02b3b4884e12d 100644
--- a/providers/cncf/kubernetes/tests/unit/cncf/kubernetes/utils/test_pod_manager.py
+++ b/providers/cncf/kubernetes/tests/unit/cncf/kubernetes/utils/test_pod_manager.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
     PodManager,
     PodPhase,
     XComRetrievalError,
+    _parse_log_level,
     log_pod_event,
     parse_log_line,
 )
@@ -153,6 +154,47 @@ def setup_method(self):
             callbacks=[MockKubernetesPodOperatorCallback],
         )
 
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        ("message", "expected_level"),
+        [
+            ("ERROR: something went wrong", logging.ERROR),
+            ("WARNING: low disk space", logging.WARNING),
+            ("WARN: deprecated usage", logging.WARNING),
+            ("DEBUG: entering function", logging.DEBUG),
+            ("CRITICAL: system failure", logging.CRITICAL),
+            ("FATAL: unrecoverable error", logging.CRITICAL),
+            ("INFO: starting up", logging.INFO),
+            ("[ERROR] bracketed prefix", logging.ERROR),
+            ("plain log line with no level", logging.INFO),
+            ("", logging.INFO),
+        ],
+    )
+    def test_parse_log_level(self, message, expected_level):
+        assert _parse_log_level(message) == expected_level
+
+    def test_log_message_uses_detected_log_level(self):
+        """_log_message should forward ERROR lines at ERROR level, not INFO."""
+        with mock.patch.object(self.pod_manager.log, "log") as mock_log:
+            self.pod_manager._log_message(
+                message="ERROR: something failed",
+                container_name="base",
+                container_name_log_prefix_enabled=True,
+                log_formatter=None,
+            )
+        mock_log.assert_called_once()
+        assert mock_log.call_args[0][0] == logging.ERROR
+
+    def test_log_message_defaults_to_info_for_plain_lines(self):
+        """_log_message should use INFO for lines without a known level prefix."""
+        with mock.patch.object(self.pod_manager.log, "log") as mock_log:
+            self.pod_manager._log_message(
+                message="Starting application",
+                container_name="base",
+                container_name_log_prefix_enabled=True,
+                log_formatter=None,
+            )
+        assert mock_log.call_args[0][0] == logging.INFO
+
     def test_read_pod_logs_successfully_returns_logs(self):
         mock.sentinel.metadata = mock.MagicMock()
         self.mock_kube_client.read_namespaced_pod_log.return_value = mock.sentinel.logs