CHARLOTTE, N.C. — American Airlines wants more mechanics for its Charlotte hub, and it is paying to help train them. The carrier has teamed with the Aviation Institute of Maintenance on a program that puts scholarship money and a tuition break toward aircraft maintenance careers in Charlotte.
High school seniors around Charlotte who take the school’s dual-credit aviation maintenance classes can compete for a $25,000 scholarship pool the airline is funding. Anyone who works at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, no matter who signs the paycheck, can also get 10% off tuition, which the school estimates saves a typical student around $5,000 across the program.
Students will be paired with American maintenance technicians as mentors and can tour the airline’s maintenance shops. Top graduates who earn their FAA certification are guaranteed a job interview.
The need is tied to the size of the operation. American keeps roughly 800 FAA-licensed maintenance technicians at Charlotte Douglas, which is the airline’s second-largest hub by departures. The airport handled 53.6 million passengers in 2025 and has 124 gates spread over five concourses, with a fourth parallel runway expected in 2027.
American is one of the largest employers in the Charlotte region, and the hub’s growth has rippled outward. Steele Creek, the southwest Charlotte neighborhood between South Tryon Street and the Catawba River near the airport, has been one of the city’s fastest-growing areas, fueled by new subdivisions close to Charlotte Douglas.
The company describes the partnership as a way to build a steadier supply of skilled workers to keep its fleet flying out of Charlotte.
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