FAA Issued 11,103 Mechanic Certificates in 2025
Aviation firms saw a 23% rise in newly certified mechanics as the industry attempts to address long-term labor shortages.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Employment
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The FAA issued 11,103 airframe and powerplant mechanic certificates in 2025, a 23% increase over the 9,027 licenses granted in 2024. This growth follows intensified industry-wide efforts to expand the pipeline of qualified technical personnel.
Why it matters
Aviation companies are scaling recruitment and training programs to counter looming retirements and industry expansion. Despite the uptick in new certifications, projected demand in North America still threatens to outpace supply in the coming years.
The FAA issued 11,103 certificates in 2025, a 23% increase over 2024. Part 147 aviation maintenance schools produced 7,496 of these new workers, while 1,375 transitions were completed through military-to-civilian programs.
The players
FAA
The federal agency responsible for the safety of civil aviation and the oversight of maintenance technician certification standards.
Choose Aerospace
An educational organization that provides FAA-aligned aviation maintenance curriculum to secondary schools.
The details
Industry stakeholders are driving growth by increasing throughput at Part 147 schools, which saw a 13% rise in total enrollment. Outreach programs have also established aviation maintenance curricula in 43 high schools to build awareness early. These efforts aim to bridge a persistent gap that is expected to reach a 20,000-mechanic deficit by 2030.
Timeline
2024 saw 9,027 A&P certificates issued.
2025 saw 11,103 A&P certificates issued.
2030 is the target year for a projected 20,000 mechanic deficit.
Market Landscape
The current growth in technician training follows a consistent industry pattern of reacting to the projected 20,000 mechanic deficit by 2030. This expansion marks a necessary shift to maintain capacity as sector demand continues to outpace available labor.
Operators should monitor local school partnerships and military transition programs to stabilize their own maintenance pipelines. Planning should account for the fact that even with rising certification rates, the broader North American technical labor supply remains under significant pressure.
The takeaway
The rise in new certifications indicates that institutional efforts to scale vocational training are yielding tangible results. Operators should continue to track the delta between certification growth rates and the projected 2030 deficit to adjust their long-term hiring and retention strategies.
Further reading
For additional insights on technical labor trends, visit the Employment section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Aviation Week.
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