The industry is delivering record numbers of business aircraft. The workforce trained to maintain them is not keeping pace. Here’s what the data says, and why structured, type-specific training has never been more critical.
To address this gap, investing in business aviation maintenance training is essential for developing a skilled workforce capable of supporting this growth.
The Numbers Behind the Growth
The Importance of Business Aviation Maintenance Training
The business aviation market entered 2026 on a historically strong footing. According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), 854 business jets were delivered globally in 2025, an 11.8% increase over 2024, while total aircraft billings reached $35.7 billion, up 14.6% year-on-year, the highest figure ever recorded.
These are not cyclical peaks. OEM order backlogs stood at more than $55 billion in mid-2025, reflecting stable, sustained demand with manufacturers booking aircraft at roughly the same rate they are producing them. New flagship programmes from Gulfstream, Bombardier, and Textron are entering service, each introducing new avionics architectures, composite structures, and integrated diagnostics systems that demand highly specific maintenance expertise.
The market context at AERO Friedrichshafen 2026, where Academy Aviation Group will exhibit at Booth A2-203, Hall A2, could not be more relevant: a booming fleet delivery environment, colliding head-on with a deepening maintenance workforce shortage.
The Quiet Crisis: A Widening Maintenance Skills Gap
While aircraft deliveries make headlines, the workforce challenge receives far less attention, yet it is arguably the more operationally urgent issue facing the industry.
According to Boeing’s 2025 Pilot and Technician Outlook, airlines and MRO providers will need 710,000 new maintenance technicians over the next 20 years. When combined with demand for pilots and cabin crew, the total requirement reaches 1,465,000 new aviation professionals over the next decade.
In North America, the deficit is already measurable and growing. The industry is currently around 17,000 technicians short, with a further 45,000 expected to retire over the next decade. The shortfall is projected to peak in 2028, when the deficit could reach as many as 30,000 mechanics. In Europe, forecasts that 85,000 new commercial aviation technicians will be required across the continent in the next decade, driven by both attrition and fleet expansion.
The problem is structural, not temporary. Aircraft are flying longer, demand is high, and experienced technicians are leaving at the same time. COVID-19 accelerated early retirements and caused approximately 5,000 fewer new mechanics to enter the industry during a critical period. A “lost generation” of technicians, those who never entered the workforce after major industry contractions, has left a gap in mid-career expertise that is not easily replaced.
For business aviation specifically, the aerospace technician talent pool is small, and all areas of the industry compete against each other for the shrinking population of experienced mechanics.
Why B1/B2 Licences Are the Hardest Roles to Fill
The shortage is not just about volume, it is about qualifications. According to discussions at MRO Europe 2025, B1/B2 certified engineers remain “the hardest roles to fill” across Europe.
Engineering and technician roles requiring B1/B2 licences are among the most difficult to recruit for. Employers are contending with increased competition, longer time-to-hire, and a shrinking pool of experienced candidates. Many engineers who left during the pandemic have not returned, younger generations are hesitant to enter due to long qualification timelines and high training costs, and training capacity has not scaled to match demand.
This is precisely the challenge that Academy Aviation Group’s EASA Part-147 approved B1/B2 programmes are designed to address, delivering structured theoretical and practical training on specific aircraft types, to a regulatory standard that produces genuinely job-ready technicians.
Type-Specific Training: The Standard Operators Now Require
General maintenance knowledge alone is no longer sufficient in today’s business aviation environment. Operators taking delivery of a Gulfstream G800, a Bombardier Global 8000, or a Dassault Falcon 10X require technicians who are current, competent, and type-rated on those specific platforms, not generalists who have never worked on a fly-by-wire large-cabin jet.
Academy Aviation Group delivers training across seven major business aviation OEM families:
- Bombardier – Including: Challenger 300/350, Challenger 604 / 605 / 650, Challenger 850, Global 7500, Global Express / XRS / 5000 / 6000, Learjet 60 / 60XR, Challenger 850 to Challenger 604, Challenger 604 to Challenger 601
- Dassault Falcon – Including: Falcon 50EX, Falcon 50, Falcon 7X/8X, Falcon 900B, Falcon 2000, Falcon 900C/EX, Falcon 2000EX, Falcon 2000EX EASy / DX / LX / S, Falcon 900EX EASy / 900DX / 900LX, Falcon 900 Differences, Falcon 2000 Differences
- Gulfstream – Including: GV, G150, G200 / Galaxy, G280, G350 / G450, G550, G550 to GV, G500 / G600, G350 / G450 to G550, G650 / G650ER, GIV / GIV-SP, G700, G350 / G450 to GIV / GIV-SP
- Embraer – Including: Phenom 300
- Textron – Including: Cessna 525C Citation Jet CJ4, Cessna 680A Latitude Sovereign, Beechcraft King Air 300 series, Hawker 750 / 800XP / 850XP / 900XP
- Pilatus – Including: Pilatus PC-12, Pilatus PC-24
- Leonardo – Leonardo AW139
This breadth across platforms – delivered under both EASA Part-147 (through Academy 147) and FAA-compliant frameworks (through AAMT), means that operators and MROs with mixed-fleet operations can consolidate their training needs within a single, standards-assured training organisation.
Why This Matters at AERO Friedrichshafen 2026
AERO 2026 takes place in a market environment where business aviation has never been more active. More aircraft are being delivered. Fleets are more technically complex. And the qualified technicians needed to maintain those fleets are in shorter supply than at any point in recent history.
For operators, DOMs, training managers, and MRO providers attending AERO, the operational question is direct: when your next aircraft enters service, do you have technicians trained on it to the regulatory standard required?
Academy Aviation Group is exhibiting at Booth A2-203, Hall A2, Messe Friedrichshafen, from 22–25 April 2026. Our team will be on hand to discuss training requirements, programme structures, and how we can support your organisation’s maintenance readiness across EASA and FAA environments.
Meet the Team at AERO 2026
Carole Ruh – Director of Sales | c.ruh@academy147.com | +33 6 46 71 21 73
Richard Dam – Chief Operating Officer | r.dam@academy147.com | +356 9960 9833
Krste Atanasovski – Operations Manager | k.atanasovski@academy147.com | +356 99917956
Sources
All data referenced in this article is drawn from primary industry sources:
- GAMA 2025 Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report – aerotime.aero
- Boeing 2025 Pilot and Technician Outlook- boeing.com
- Oliver Wyman: Not Enough Aviation Mechanics – arsa.org
- CNN: Aviation Industry Running Out of People Who Keep Planes Flying (Feb 2026) – cnn.com
- MRO Europe 2025 / AviationJobSearch: Behind the Headlines – aviationjobsearch.com
- Professional Pilot Magazine: Business Aircraft Market 2026 – propilotmag.com
Written by Stamatina Kiriazou | Connect on LinkedIn
