New York City at a Glance
Aviation Maintenance Schools Near New York City
8
Within 100 mi, FAA 2026
Top Score Nearby
50.5
Vaughn College
Aircraft Mechanic Jobs, New York City Metro
5,110
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Metro Median Pay
$127,140
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Location Quotient
0.61
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Area covered: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area (CBSA 35620).
JetBlue built a Technical Operations Center right at JFK International Airport, giving New York a full-scale airline maintenance base in Queens. JFK itself handled 31,466,102 enplanements in 2024 and moved 4,791,225,787 pounds of cargo, so the metro carries both passenger and freight maintenance demand at a scale few other airports match. Aircraft mechanics here earn a median $127,140, well above the U.S. median of $79,870.
Training options sit close to that hangar work. Aviation High School in Long Island City is 5.9 miles from the metro core and runs a fifth-year program based at JFK itself. Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, 7.8 miles out in Flushing, offers an accelerated aircraft mechanic certificate track. Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, 15.4 miles away, sits minutes from Teterboro Airport.
Top Picks
Top Picks Near New York City
Among the aviation maintenance schools near New York City, a pick appears only when one school clearly leads on its figure; ties produce none.
Top Pick Near New York City
Best Outcomes Near New York City
Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology
Highest overall score of the 6 ranked schools, 50.5 out of 100.
Highest IPEDS graduation rate of the 2 ranked schools that report one: 39%.
New York City Ranking
Top-Ranked Aviation Maintenance Schools Near New York City
The ranked aviation maintenance schools within 100 miles of New York City, ordered by score. High school programs within 100 miles follow the ranking. Scores are national, out of 100, and the table after the cards shows the points behind them.
Distances are straight-line miles from the center of New York City.
Score bars: Outcomes (30)Cost (25)Program Depth (20)Access (15)Scale (10)
-
- Top Pick Near New York City
- Best Outcomes Near New York City
#1
Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology
Flushing, New York 8 miles from New York City #68 nationally
50.5 of 100
This fits students who want a fast certificate at a private aeronautics college with airline hiring connections in the New York City area.
- Type
- University
- Credentials
- Certificate
- Length
- can be completed in as little as 16 months
- GI Bill
- Approved
-
#2
Aviation Institute of Maintenance Hasbrouck Heights
Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey 15 miles from New York City #90 nationally
46.7 of 100
This program fits New Jersey students who need the state's only FAA-approved Part 147 school, minutes from Teterboro Airport, on a 21-month certificate schedule.
- Type
- Private Aviation School
- Credentials
- Certificate
- Length
- 21 months for full-time students
- GI Bill
- Approved
- Schedule
- day and evening classes available
- Starts
- September class start referenced (application fee waiver promotion for 9/27)
-
#3
Connecticut Aero Tech School
Hartford, Connecticut 100 miles from New York City #106 nationally
44.7 of 100
Connecticut Aero Tech School fits day-schedule students working toward becoming an aircraft mechanic over two years at an extension campus based at Brainard Airport.
- Type
- Technical College
- Credentials
- Certificate (Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic, upon passing FAA exams)
- Length
- 2 years
- Starts
- December 2026 enrollment class applications open
-
#4
Stratford School for Aviation Maintenance Technicians
Stratford, Connecticut 55 miles from New York City #109 nationally
44.7 of 100
This program fits Connecticut students who want a two-year airframe-and-powerplant certificate through a public extension campus based at Sikorsky Memorial Airport.
- Type
- Technical College
- Credentials
- Certificate (Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic, upon passing FAA exams)
- Length
- 2 years
- Starts
- December 2026 enrollment class applications open
-
#5
Aviation Institute of Maintenance Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 70 miles from New York City #131 nationally
41.7 of 100
This certificate program suits someone near Philadelphia who wants day or evening hands-on training across two large hangars with employer connections built in.
- Type
- Private Aviation School
- Credentials
- Certificate
- GI Bill
- Approved
- Schedule
- day and evening
-
#6
Dutchess Community College
Wappingers Falls, New York 66 miles from New York City #180 nationally
35.3 of 100
This program fits students in the Hudson Valley who want a four-semester associate degree covering both airframe and powerplant ratings at a public community college price.
- Type
- Community College
- Credentials
- Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
- Length
- 64 total credit hours across four semesters
| Rank | School | Score | Outcomes (30) | Cost (25) | Program Depth (20) | Access (15) | Scale (10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaughn College | 50.5 | 15 | † | 8 | 5 | 10 |
| 2 | AIM Hasbrouck Heights | 46.7 | † | † | 0 | 15 | † |
| 3 | CT Aero Tech | 44.7 | † | † | 8 | 5 | † |
| 4 | Stratford School for Aviation Maintenance Technicians | 44.7 | † | † | 8 | 5 | † |
| 5 | AIM Philadelphia | 41.7 | † | † | 0 | 10 | † |
| 6 | SUNY Dutchess | 35.3 | 5.2 | 12.5 | 14 | 0 | 3.6 |
High School Pathways
High School Aviation Maintenance Programs Near New York City
These 2 FAA-approved programs are run by a high school or career center, so they are listed apart from the college ranking, nearest first.
See the full best aviation maintenance schools in New York ranking.
Local Employers
Where Aircraft Mechanics Work in New York City
BLS counts 5,110 aircraft mechanic jobs in the New York City metro area as of May 2025, a location quotient of 0.61.
A location quotient above 1.00 means these jobs make up a larger share of local employment than they do nationally.
Airline Maintenance
JetBlue Airways
Technical Operations Center (Hangar 81) at JFK International Airport, Queens, NY
JetBlue built a long-span maintenance hangar and workshop facility at JFK to service its fleet in-house.
140,000-square-foot facility
Source: JetBlue Unveils New 140,000-Square-Foot Hangar and Maintenance Facility at JFK (news.jetblue.com)
Airline Maintenance
United Airlines
Widebody maintenance hangar at Newark Liberty International Airport, NJ
United operates a dedicated widebody hangar at Newark Liberty for maintaining Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft.
90,000-square-foot hangar
Source: United Airlines Opens New Widebody Hangar at Newark Liberty (prnewswire.com)
Air Cargo
FedEx Express
Newark Regional Hub sort and ramp facilities at Newark Liberty International Airport, NJ
FedEx operates a major regional hub at Newark Liberty spanning multiple large buildings, supporting its cargo aircraft operations there.
Roughly 2 million square feet of airport property across three buildings
Source: Newark Liberty International Airport - Wikipedia (Wikipedia)
Airports
Commercial and Cargo Airports in the Area
John F Kennedy International (JFK) recorded 31,466,102 passenger boardings in 2024, the most of the airports listed here.
| Airport | FAA ID | Hub Class | Passenger Boardings, 2024 | All-Cargo Landed Weight, 2024 (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John F Kennedy International | JFK | Large hub | 31,466,102 | 4,791,225,787 |
| Newark Liberty International | EWR | Large hub | 24,544,320 | 2,543,418,520 |
| Laguardia | LGA | Large hub | 16,715,567 | |
| Westchester County | HPN | Small hub | 1,182,384 | |
| Long Island MacArthur | ISP | Small hub | 682,804 |
Local Context
JetBlue's Technical Operations Center at JFK
JetBlue operates a Technical Operations Center directly at JFK International Airport, servicing its own fleet in-house rather than sending aircraft elsewhere. That keeps airframe and powerplant work local to the New York job market rather than routed to a maintenance base in another region.
United Airlines runs a parallel widebody hangar at Newark Liberty for its own fleet, and FedEx Express operates a regional cargo hub spanning roughly 2 million square feet of Newark Liberty property across three buildings. Between the two airports, the metro holds passenger airline maintenance, widebody work, and cargo ramp operations side by side.
Aviation Maintenance Schools Near New York City: Common Questions
What Schools Near New York City Train Aircraft Mechanics?
What Do Aircraft Mechanics Earn in New York City?
What Are the Largest Aviation Maintenance Employers in New York City?
How Far Is Training From Where Mechanics Work in New York City?
Do Hours at a New York Aviation Employer Count Toward FAA Certification?
More Metro Guides
Aviation Maintenance School Rankings in Other Metro Areas
Sources for School and Pay Data
- FAA AV-Info Part 147 school records
- Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025: Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (49-3011)
- Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025: Avionics Technicians (49-2091)
- Commercial Service Airports, CY2024 Enplanements
- Passenger Boarding (Enplanement) and All-Cargo Data for U.S. Airports
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
- JetBlue Airways: JetBlue Unveils New 140,000-Square-Foot Hangar and Maintenance Facility at JFK
- United Airlines: United Airlines Opens New Widebody Hangar at Newark Liberty
- FedEx Express: Newark Liberty International Airport - Wikipedia
All sources retrieved .
Read how we source and check school, wage, and airport data for every page on this site.