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Studies & Degrees in Aircraft Maintenance

Aircraft maintenance is the technical training of the people who inspect, service and repair aircraft. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), aircraft and avionics mechanics and technicians install, test, adjust and repair equipment and systems in aircraft, and they perform scheduled maintenance, make repairs and complete inspections. The work is closely regulated: an aircraft may only return to service when a licensed person has certified the work.

The training is practical. Greenville Technical College in South Carolina, for example, lists sheet metal layout and repair, flight control rigging, landing gear, hydraulic, pneumatic and fuel systems, aircraft drawings, weight and balance, and current aviation regulations in its airframe curriculum, and turbine engines, reciprocating engines and propellers in the powerplant part. Avionics is a specialisation in its own right; avionics technicians repair and maintain a plane's electronic systems, including radio communications equipment and radar.

Qualifications and licences

In this subject the licence matters as much as the diploma, and the licence depends on where you intend to work.

  • United States. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires maintenance to be done by a certified mechanic or under the supervision of one. It issues separate airframe and powerplant certificates, and employers may prefer mechanics who hold both (A&P). Completing a programme at an FAA-approved aviation maintenance technician school can substitute for the experience requirement, and programmes at community colleges can lead to an associate's degree. Idaho State University offers a one-year Airframe certificate and a two-year Associate of Applied Science in Airframe and Powerplant. Its programme starts in August and admits 25 students a year. The Aircraft Maintenance Technology programme of Greenville Technical College is an Associate in Applied Science that qualifies students to take the FAA airframe and powerplant certification exams; an agreement with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University allows progression to a bachelor's degree in Aviation Maintenance Management.
  • European Union. Technicians hold a Part-66 aircraft maintenance licence under the rules of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). To obtain it, an applicant needs basic knowledge and basic experience; type training is needed to add an aircraft type rating. Category A covers minor scheduled line maintenance and simple defect rectification. Category B1 covers aircraft structure, power plant and mechanical and electrical systems, and category B2 covers avionic and electrical systems.
  • Spain. Vocational training (FP) includes the higher-level cycle Técnico Superior en Mantenimiento Aeromecánico de Aviones con Motor de Turbina, which has 2,540 hours and includes a training period in a company. There are parallel cycles for piston-engine aeroplanes and for helicopters. Ask the centre how its cycle counts towards the Part-66 licence.

A US certificate and a European licence are different documents issued under different rules. Before enrolling abroad, ask the aviation authority of the country where you want to work what it requires.

Where to study aircraft maintenance

SpainExchange lists four active schools for this subject: three in the United States and one in Spain. The US entries are Idaho State University in Pocatello, Greenville Technical College and SUNY, The State University of New York. The Spanish entry is the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, a public university. Technician training in Spain is otherwise given at vocational training centres, which the official TodoFP portal lists for each cycle. Programmes in the United States are taught in English, and Spanish FP cycles in Spanish.

Careers

Graduates work as line and hangar mechanics for airlines, maintenance and repair organisations, aircraft manufacturers, general and corporate aviation and public bodies. The Spanish cycle lists occupations such as line mechanic and hangar or workshop systems maintenance technician. In the United States, aircraft mechanics and service technicians held about 140,000 jobs in 2025, according to the BLS: 30 percent in support activities for air transportation, 26 percent in air transportation and 18 percent in aerospace product and parts manufacturing. The BLS projects employment of aircraft and avionics mechanics and technicians to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. It also notes that shifts can include nights, weekends and holidays.

Frequently asked questions

How long does aircraft maintenance training take?

About two years for a full programme. Idaho State University offers a two-year associate degree in Airframe and Powerplant and a one-year Airframe certificate; the Spanish higher-level cycle for turbine-engine aeroplanes has 2,540 hours.

Do I need a licence to work as an aircraft mechanic?

To certify work, yes. In the United States the FAA requires maintenance to be done by a certified mechanic or under the supervision of one, and in the European Union technicians hold an EASA Part-66 licence.

What is the difference between B1 and B2?

Both are categories of the EASA Part-66 licence. B1 covers aircraft structure, power plant and mechanical and electrical systems; B2 covers avionic and electrical systems.

Is there a medical requirement for the European licence?

EASA states that anybody able to pass the basic knowledge examinations and fulfil the basic experience requirements can get the related Part-66 licence.