Part 2: The Maintenance Squeeze: Why Wages Are Rising — and How Small Shops Can Still Win

The Maintenance Squeeze: Why Wages Are Rising — and How Small Shops Can Still Win

If you run a small MRO or independent shop, you’ve felt it: offers outbid, applicants ghosted, top mechanics lured away. This isn’t just bad luck — it’s the market at work.

According to Oliver Wyman’s *Global Fleet & MRO Forecast*, maintenance demand is projected to reach nearly **$120 billion in 2025** and continue growing through 2035. At the same time, the pipeline of new mechanics is still too narrow. The Aviation Technician Education Council reported that in 2023, **9,400 new A&P certificates** were issued — a record, up 32 percent year-over-year — but demand continues to outpace supply.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that **median pay for aircraft mechanics reached $78,680 in 2024**, with top earners above $120,000. Major carriers, often backed by union contracts, have also approved immediate raises of 12 to 15 percent in recent agreements. These scales set the market floor, and when they move, smaller operators feel the impact right away.

Why Small Shops Feel It Harder

Budget limits mean you cannot simply match big-airline offers. After months of training and onboarding, a major can lure away a productive technician with a signing bonus. Scope clauses in union contracts further concentrate demand on in-house, higher-paid staff.

The result is higher offer thresholds, faster counteroffers, and mid-career techs leaving for predictability and richer benefits elsewhere.

How Ironfleet Helps You Compete

- Faster connections: The platform matches open maintenance needs with certified mechanics — in-house, contracted, or across your network — cutting downtime from days to hours.

- Flexible labor pool: Shops can tap vetted techs on-demand during peak periods without committing to permanent salaries when demand dips.

- Skill and credential tracking: Digital credentialing verifies licenses instantly and removes redundant onboarding.

- Keep more work in-house: Expert on Demand enables real-time inspections and guidance from certified experts so more jobs can be completed without outsourcing.

- Smarter scheduling: The scheduling engine optimizes jobs across shifts and skillsets, reducing overtime and burnout while still hitting deadlines.

The Game-Changer: Training Up Junior

Small shops can flip the script by growing their own talent faster instead of trying to match the majors on base pay.

- Exposure to multiple aircraft types and systems builds diverse skills more quickly than siloed airline roles.

- Expert on Demand lets junior techs safely tackle more complex jobs under live supervision.

- Mechanics who see real advancement opportunities are less likely to leave for a modest pay bump.

For mechanics, this means faster career growth, broader skills, documented competencies, and a more engaging workday. For MROs, it means higher productivity sooner, reduced reliance on costly hires, and more capabilities in-house.

Bottom Line

Mechanic wages will keep rising. That is the reality of a hot MRO market and strong union influence. But with Ironfleet, small shops can fight back: connect with the right tech faster, flex your labor force, and most importantly, turn junior hires into high-value contributors in record time.

That is how you protect your margins, keep aircraft flying, and build a team that stays.