Two years after lockdowns nearly grounded the airline industry, repair shops and suppliers are scrambling for students like Gagnon, who received multiple job offers while still at the École nationale d'aérotechnique in Canada's aerospace hub, Quebec.
The high-margin services industry is attractive for planemakers like Boeing Co , as air travel rebounds. In 2021, the U.S. planemaker forecast the global industry's need for 626,000 new maintenance technicians over the next two decades compared with 612,000 pilots. "Recruiting mechanics has become noticeably more difficult compared to the pre-crisis period," said Frank Bayer, who heads human resources at Lufthansa Technik AG .
A Wells Fargo survey of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services providers showed the labor crunch worsening in July, with 60% of those polled saying they saw a "meaningful impact" from shortages compared with 35% in a prior survey.