The growth rate of newly trained aviation maintenance professionals shows that the industry’s efforts to attract talent are paying off, but looming retirements and projected industry expansion continue to pressure the technical workforce pipeline, a new report concludes.
Leading the list of positive signs was the 11,103 new FAA airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic certificates issued in 2025, according to the latest Pipeline Report, jointly produced by Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) and Oliver Wyman. The figure is both a record and a 23% jump over 2024’s figure.
Part 147 aviation maintenance technician schools (AMTS) drove much of the growth, generating 7,496 of the new A&Ps—a 27% jump over 2024 and also a new annual high, the report said. Enrollment was up 13%, it added.
“The overall growth trend and underlying drivers are encouraging signs that industry is making progress in its effort to expand and diversify the technical workforce pipeline,” said ATEC Executive Director Crystal Maguire. “We need to continue building momentum to meet both near-term and long-term demand needs, and that includes ensuring we’re attracting sufficient resources as well as workforce candidates.”
While the growth rates are strong, they are not enough to close the projected workforce gap. Oliver Wyman forecasts demand for 25,000 more North American aviation technical personnel than the industry will have, including 9,100 certificated mechanics. By 2030, the certificated mechanic deficit is projected to reach approximately 20,000, or 12% of anticipated demand.
Industry efforts to attract more candidates focus on driving up Part 147 school throughput, increasing military-to-civilian transitions and exposing more high school students to aviation career paths.
The Part 147 success has fostered new challenges, such as convincing enough qualified instructors to teach instead of working in the industry or staying retired, a survey completed as part of the report’s data-gathering found. Funding for required equipment necessary to teach and test students is also an issue, respondents said.
Military transitions into an FAA A&P license increased 5% to 1,375, but still fall well short of the estimated 20,000 qualified candidates that leave the armed forces each year.
Programs targeting high school students are growing as well. A recent Government Accountability Office report identified 43 high schools that offer aviation maintenance coursework, including 37 that are part of Choose Aerospace, the ATEC sister organization that developed an FAA standards-based high school curriculum.
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