American Airlines and the Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) have announced a new partnership based out of AIM’s Charlotte campus that expands pathways for students and Charlotte airport employees to pursue careers in aviation maintenance.

As part of the partnership, American Airlines is offering scholarships to students enrolled in AIM’s dual credit Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) program, while AIM is providing tuition assistance to at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) employees, regardless of their current employers.

Three components make up the partnership, which are:

Learning in the classroom and the hangar

Through the partnership, students enrolled at AIM will receive support from American Airlines like:

• Mentorship from AMTs at CLT
• Access to American Airlines maintenance facilities
• FAA Airframe and Powerplant certification upon completion
• Guaranteed interviews for top-performing students upon graduation

Scholarships

American is distributing $25,000 in scholarships for Charlotte-area seniors that are enrolled in AIM’s dual credit AMT program.

Tuition support

Anyone who works at CLT will receive a 10% discount on tuition. This could save airport staff an average of $5,000 over their studies.

As the only Part 147 aviation maintenance school in the Charlotte region, this financial assistance will support those already working across the airport—from cabin cleaners and fuelers to wheelchair handlers and more—to gain specialized training and take the next step in their careers.

"Partnerships like this are essential to building the future of aviation maintenance," said American's Senior Vice President of Technical Operations John Bendoraitis.

Bendoraitis continued, "AIM has a strong reputation for preparing students for successful careers as aviation maintenance technicians, and we’re proud to partner with them to provide students with hands-on industry exposure, meaningful networking opportunities and a direct pathway to rewarding careers with American.”

“By investing in future talent today, we're helping ensure a strong pipeline of skilled technicians that will keep our industry moving forward for years to come and provide people with rewarding careers,” added Bendoraitis.

"AIM has been part of the Charlotte community since 2019, and we’re proud of the relationships we’ve built here,” commented AIM Chief Executive Officer Jason Pfaff.

Pfaff noted, “Our partnership with American Airlines and its affiliated partners has helped more than 100 AIM graduates launch careers in aviation. We value that partnership and the opportunity to keep building the aviation workforce."