President Donald Trump has said he wants to bolster manufacturing jobs and other technical employment in the United States. But in the aviation industry, finding skilled workers to make airplanes and engines — and maintaining those jobs for years to come — has been a struggle.
The average age of a certified aircraft mechanic in the U.S. is 54, and 40% of them are over the age of 60, according to a joint 2024 report from the Aviation Technician Education Council and consulting firm Oliver Wyman, which cites Federal Aviation Administration data. The U.S. will be short 25,000 aircraft technicians by 2028, according to the report.
“A lot of them were hired on in the ’80s and early ’90s. You just start doing some math and you start saying at some point they’re going to retire,” said American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour, who oversees the carrier’s more than 6,000 daily flights.
To boost their ranks, airlines and big manufacturers of airplanes and their thousands of components are trying to get more younger people interested in the field.
The industry was already facing a retirement wave when Covid hit, and companies cut or offered buyouts to experienced workers — from those who build aircraft to those who maintain them to keep flying.
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