Inspect and repair aircraft, then sign them safe to fly. A Transport Canada licence, not a university degree.
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Pay, the path, pros and cons and the facts on one printable page. Good for a wall or a guidance counsellor.
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What you earn and what it costs to get there.
Licensed AME (aircraft maintenance engineer)
$78,000
Apprentice technician
$50,000
Airline lead or inspector
$110,000
Job Bank puts most aircraft mechanics between $24 and $53 an hour. Major airlines like Air Canada and WestJet pay the most, with union contracts. Small charter and bush operators pay less but license you faster. Northern bases add isolation pay.
$22 to $28 an hour
Apprentice technician after college, before your licence
Apprentices work under a licensed AME (aircraft maintenance engineer) while logging the hours Transport Canada requires. Some small operators start lower.
$40 to $55 an hour
Licensed AME (aircraft maintenance engineer) at an airline
Once you hold the licence, your signature releases an aircraft to fly. That responsibility is why licensed pay jumps. Shift premiums, overtime and licence bonuses push airline AMEs past $100,000.
Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel
The low end is a two year approved college program at the cheaper end of tuition, a starter tool set, and the Transport Canada exam and licence fees. The high end is the same two years at higher tuition with a fuller tool set. This is not a Red Seal apprenticeship, so the Canada Apprentice Loan and the EI (Employment Insurance) school block benefits do not apply, only regular student loans. Some airlines and operators repay tuition for graduates who sign on, which can cancel most of the cost after the fact.
Some airlines and operators repay tuition for graduates who sign on. A college program is not legally required, but it cuts the experience requirement and it is how nearly everyone starts.
Flight benefits
Airline staff and family fly standby for nearly free.
Union contract and pension
Air Canada and WestJet maintenance staff are unionized.
Shift premiums
Nights, weekends and holidays pay extra.
Licence and skill premiums
Extra pay per licence category at many employers.
Health and dental
The exact path from high school to qualified.
College, then logged experience, then a Transport Canada licence. It is not an engineering degree.
High school diploma
Grade 12
Grade 12 with math, physics and English. Shop classes help.
Approved college program
2 years
A 2-year AME (aircraft maintenance engineer) diploma approved by Transport Canada: Centennial College in Toronto, BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology), SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology), Canadore College in North Bay, Red River College Polytechnic in Winnipeg and others. Approved programs give credit toward the experience requirement: Transport Canada allows up to 24 months, and most programs give about 18.
Work as an apprentice
2 to 3 years
Join an airline, charter operator, repair shop or bush operator. Log every task in a personal logbook. Transport Canada wants roughly 48 months of experience in total, minus your college credit, so about 2 to 3 more years.
Transport Canada licence
After your hours
Pass the regulatory exams and prove your logged tasks. The M1 licence covers smaller aircraft, M2 covers large transport aircraft like airliners. E is avionics, S is structures. Minimum age is 21.
Add type ratings
Ongoing
Courses on specific aircraft, run by the airline or manufacturer, let you sign for those types.
Math
Tolerances, electrical values, weight and balance.
Physics
Lift, pressure, electricity, materials.
English
Manuals and regulations are dense, and your logbook must be exact.
Shop or technology
Sheet metal and small engines especially.
Chemistry
Composites, fuels and corrosion.
Only a licensed AME (aircraft maintenance engineer) can sign a maintenance release, the document that lets an aircraft fly after work is done. The licence is federal, so it is valid across Canada. The word engineer here does not mean a university engineering degree, and it is not the same as a professional engineer. Unlicensed technicians can work, but only under a licensed AME.
Things you don't need, but that help.
M2 licence
Large aircraft. The airline licence.
E licence (avionics)
Electrical systems, radios, navigation and flight computers. In short supply.
S licence (structures)
Sheet metal and composite repair.
Type ratings
Boeing 737, Airbus A320, Dash 8 and so on. More types, more value.
Inspection and quality roles
Senior AMEs (aircraft maintenance engineers) move into inspection, planning and management.
Air cadets
Many AMEs (aircraft maintenance engineers) started in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.
A clean record
Airport security clearance is required.
Colour vision and hearing
Checked by employers and for some licences.
Comfort with heights and tight spaces
Wings, tails and fuel tanks.
French
Useful in Quebec and at federal employers.
Small operators in northern Ontario, the Prairies, the territories and the BC coast fly floatplanes, helicopters and old workhorses like the Twin Otter. They pay less than airlines but give young AMEs (aircraft maintenance engineers) wide experience fast, and some post isolation bonuses and housing.
Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.
Airlines run 24 hours. A night shift in a hangar might start at 7pm with a checklist of scheduled inspections on an aircraft that flies out at 6am: open panels, inspect, replace worn parts, run engine checks, sign the release. Line maintenance at the gate means fixing snags between flights in minutes, in any weather. Everything is written down, and every part has paperwork.
The good
The hard parts
Things people don't tell you.
An aircraft cannot legally fly after maintenance until a licensed AME (aircraft maintenance engineer) signs the maintenance release. That signature is why the licence exists and why licensed pay is higher.
Canada uses the title aircraft maintenance engineer. In the US the same job is called an airframe and powerplant mechanic. Neither is a university engineering degree.
Transport Canada requires you to log the maintenance tasks you performed as an apprentice, and you must have done at least 70% of the tasks on its list for your licence category.
Industry groups estimate thousands of AMEs (aircraft maintenance engineers) will be needed this decade as older technicians retire and fleets grow.
Last checked September 2026. Pay figures are typical full-time annual amounts in Canadian dollars, based on Government of Canada Job Bank wage data and published salary grids. They vary by province, employer and experience. Tuition is for domestic students.