Airline Mechanic Salary: What Airline Aircraft Mechanics Earn

How Much Do Airline Mechanics Make?

The median airline mechanic salary was $98,300 a year, or $47.26 an hour, for aircraft mechanics employed by scheduled airlines in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics industry estimates. That is $18,430 more than the $79,870 median for all aircraft mechanics, and the highest median of any industry that employs at least 1,000 of them.

Scheduled airlines employ 29,480 aircraft mechanics, 21.3% of the occupation. BLS reports these figures by industry, not by company, so the numbers on this page describe airline maintenance jobs as a group.

Airline Mechanic Salary vs. Other Aviation Employers

The airline median of $98,300 is $25,390 above support activities for air transportation ($72,910), the industry group that covers independent repair stations and airport service companies and employs the most aircraft mechanics. It is $15,580 above aerospace product and parts manufacturing ($82,720) and $22,090 above the federal executive branch ($76,210).

For pay by state and metro across all industries, see the aircraft mechanic salary page.

Airline Mechanic Salary at Passenger, Charter, and Cargo Carriers

BLS splits air transportation into scheduled carriers, which fly published routes, and nonscheduled carriers such as charter operators. Mechanics at nonscheduled carriers earned a median of $80,180, $18,120 less than at scheduled airlines, across 6,420 jobs. Combined, air transportation employs 35,890 aircraft mechanics at a median of $96,170.

Express cargo falls in a different BLS industry, couriers and express delivery services, where 3,980 aircraft mechanics earned a median of $90,190, $10,320 above the all-industry median.

Where Delta, United, American, and Other Airlines Maintain Aircraft

Airline maintenance jobs cluster at hubs and maintenance bases. The table lists airline maintenance facilities documented for the metro areas on this site, with the BLS median for all aircraft mechanics in each metro. Those medians cover every employer in the metro, not only the airline listed.

In Tulsa, American Airlines Tech Ops - Tulsa reports that the base employs nearly 5,000 team members, including more than 2,300 licensed aviation maintenance technicians, across 3.3 million square feet of hangar and shop space on 330 acres. BLS puts Tulsa's location quotient for aircraft mechanics at 11.10, the share of local jobs relative to the nation.

Among these metros, New York City has the highest aircraft mechanic median at $127,140. Each metro name links to its school and pay page.

Cargo Airline Maintenance Bases

Cargo carriers run their own maintenance operations at sort hubs. Of the metros with a documented cargo maintenance facility, New York City has the highest aircraft mechanic median, $127,140.

Do Airline Mechanics Need an A&P Certificate?

The A&P is the FAA mechanic certificate with Airframe and Powerplant ratings, and not everyone in airline maintenance holds one.

FAA figures cited in the 2025 ATEC Pipeline Report show that certificated mechanics make up 61% of the maintenance workforce at air operators and 22% at repair stations. Under 14 CFR Part 65, a certificated mechanic may perform or supervise maintenance within the ratings held, and an airframe-rated mechanic may approve an airframe for return to service after work within those privileges.

A repairman certificate is the other FAA route. It requires 18 months of practical experience or acceptable formal training and a recommendation from a certificated repair station, operator, or air carrier, and its privileges apply only to work for that employer. The mechanic license guide covers the full requirements.

Airline Mechanic Job Outlook

The occupation-wide projection and two industry forecasts frame the airline outlook. Projections Central expects aircraft mechanic employment overall to grow 4% from 2024 to 2034, with about 11,300 openings a year.

ATEC's 2025 Pipeline Report projected that demand from commercial air transport alone would drive a 10% shortage of certificated mechanics in 2025, narrowing to 7%, about 10,000 mechanics, by 2035. Boeing's 2025 outlook projects North America will need 123,000 new aviation maintenance technicians from 2025 to 2044; the forecast covers commercial passenger and freight aviation only. Shortage projections describe the industry, not the odds of any one applicant being hired.