Ship and Aircraft Repairers

How to become an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 航空器机械维护员

Uses tools and equipment to carry out line maintenance and scheduled maintenance on aircraft.

Main tasks

Testing the condition of landing gear, navigation, flight control, radio communication and other systems
Carrying out pre flight, post flight and transit checks, fixing faults on the line and changing line replaceable units
Carrying out scheduled routine checks on aircraft and their systems
Overhauling aircraft and replacing parts, using engine borescopes, air data computer testers and similar equipment
Collecting and analysing in service data, monitoring continuing airworthiness and managing reliability
Maintaining equipment, tools and aircraft materials

Ways in

Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Aero Engine Assembly and Testing Technology (460604). Vocational major 460604 Aero Engine Assembly and Testing Technology (航空发动机装配调试技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Aircraft Component Repair (500411). Vocational major 500411 Aircraft Component Repair (飞机部件修理), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Civil Aircraft Line Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Aircraft Electromechanical Equipment Maintenance (500409). Vocational major 500409 Aircraft Electromechanical Equipment Maintenance (飞机机电设备维修), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Civil Aircraft Line Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Aircraft Electronic Equipment Maintenance (500410). Vocational major 500410 Aircraft Electronic Equipment Maintenance (飞机电子设备维修), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Civil Aircraft Line Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Aircraft Maintenance Technology (460607). Vocational major 460607 Aircraft Maintenance Technology (飞行器维修技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Aircraft Riveting and Assembly; Aircraft Mechanical Systems Assembly.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Aircraft Structural Repair (500413). Vocational major 500413 Aircraft Structural Repair (飞机结构修理), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Civil Aircraft Line Maintenance.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥63,600 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥48,000 to CN¥86,300. One in ten earn less than CN¥37,000 and one in ten more than CN¥117,100.
This is the figure for the mid group Production Support Workers, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥78,211 a year (2025), middle half CN¥56,513 to CN¥110,372.
This is the figure for the mid group Production Support Workers, not for this job alone.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Production Support Workers holds 2.84% of everyone employed in China; 35.7% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
38.1% are under 35, 52.9% are 35 to 54 and 9% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer?

Ways in include: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Aero Engine Assembly and Testing Technology (460604); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Aircraft Component Repair (500411).

How much does an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥63,600 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Production Support Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥78,211 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026