Airports are a total mess right now—air traffic controller shortages, endless TSA lines (thanks, government shutdowns), and terminals so packed you can barely move. It’s obvious our aviation system is cracking at the seams.
But there’s another crisis hiding in plain sight: **we’re running out of people to fix the planes.**
Yep, you read that right. According to the CAE Aviation Talent Forecast, roughly 83% of aviation maintenance techs are expected to retire or leave the field over the next decade. By 2034, the world will need **416,000 new aircraft mechanics** just to keep planes in the air.
Jason Pfaff, CEO of the Aviation Institute of Maintenance, told Fortune the job has basically become invisible.
“It’s a very acute shortage in our country today,” Pfaff said. “We have on average about half the number of trained certified mechanics that we need.”
**Here’s the good news:** it’s actually a pretty sweet gig if you know it exists.
Programs like AIM’s get you trained and certified in just 21 months—for way less than a four-year degree. Pass the FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) exams, and boom, you’re “one of the most in-demand people in aerospace,” according to Pfaff. Most AIM campuses see employment placement rates around 73%.
Let’s be real, though—the work isn’t always pretty. You’re dealing with brutal weather, screaming jet engines, and the lovely aroma of jet fumes. But the paycheck? **Totally worth it.**
Median salary in the U.S. sits around $79,000, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Factor in overtime and climbing the ranks, and six figures come fast. Bianca Miller, an avionics tech at Newark Liberty International, says some folks are pulling **$300,000 or more**.
“The opportunities are endless,” Miller told Fortune. “At the end of the day, there really is no wrong.”
And this isn’t just an aviation problem. Take Pittsburgh International Airport—they’re about to double their maintenance crew from 360 to 600 people thanks to an American Airlines expansion. Pittsburgh’s CEO Christina Cassotis says they’ve been fine on hiring, but felt the trades shortage when building their new terminal in 2021. They simply couldn’t find enough skilled workers locally.
“We’ve over-indexed on college as the right career path,” Cassotis said. “Careers in the trades haven’t gotten the attention they deserve.”
She’s not the only one sounding the alarm.
Ford CEO Jim Farley went off about this last week: “We are in trouble in our country. We’re not talking about this enough. We have over a million openings in critical jobs—trucking, factory work, plumbers, electricians. It’s a very serious thing.”
Even the tech world is panicking. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said building all those AI data centers is going to require “hundreds of thousands” of electricians, plumbers, and carpenters.
“The skilled craft segment of every economy is going to see a boom,” Huang said. “You’re going to have to be doubling and doubling every single year.”
**The silver lining?** Gen Z is catching on. Enrollment at two-year trade schools is up nearly 20% since spring 2020, and AIM’s applications from Gen Z have jumped about 40% in the last two years.
Maybe the next generation will save us after all.