File photo of employees of Jet Blue airlines working on an engine of an Airbus A320 passenger aircraft in a maintenance hangar of the company at JFK International Airport in New York on March 4, 2024, prior of a Career Discovery Week event. — AFP picNEW YORK, March 31 — The United States is grappling with a shortage of maintenance workers in the aviation industry, with baby boomers retiring and others changing jobs during the pandemic.
“I don’t think the Aviation High Schools have enough capacity to train enough people,” said Steven Jackson, principal of the Aviation High School in Long Island City.“We are one of the largest high schools and it would be hard to scale it up further,” he added. “Working as a mechanic opens so many opportunities,” said Fariha Rahman, 17, speaking to AFP at a JetBlue maintenance hangar during a Career Discovery Week.Another student, 15-year-old Gaby Moreno, added: “It’s such a great industry.”
As a result, $13.5 million was awarded in March to 32 schools, 20 of which would especially help with training maintenance professionals. The maintenance, repair and overhaul sector is “under-capacity, and hangar maintenance slots are in high demand, especially as aircraft manufacturers’ delivery delays mean that older aircrafts are being flown for longer periods, requiring more maintenance,” Fabre added.