Aviation is one of the most exciting and rewarding engineering industries to work in. It requires a high degree of technical skill, meaning as an engineer you can develop your skills, learn new ones, and continue to grow across your career. It has high pay, due to the nature of the work and the value it generates. Perhaps most importantly, it has high satisfaction, thanks to knowing your work helps people fly around the world each day.
Post-lockdown, many airlines have invested in their organisation, their fleets, and their technology, hoping to bring customers back. This means engineers are in high demand, so we’re looking at the best airlines you can work for as a technical engineer.
Founded in 1919, British Airways is one of the oldest and most prestigious airlines in the world. Carrying over 40 million passengers around the world each year, British Airways is a brand that would stand out on any engineer’s CV as a true market leader.
In terms of engineering, British Airways is a great company to work for, giving you access to the latest technology, materials, and components in the industry.
Emirates is a powerhouse airline, boasting a fleet of almost 300 aircraft, and operating in 80 countries. Emirates operates the largest fleet of Boeing 77 and Airbus A380 aircraft in the world, so if you want to specialise in wide-body aircraft, Emirates is the airline for you.
No matter what field of engineering you want to focus on, Emirates is a fantastic place to hone your skills, with a top of the line $353m engineering centre that spans 55 hectares, one of the most advanced aircraft maintenance facilities in the world. This shows how seriously Emirates takes engineering, as technical excellence is a core part of their values and brand identity.
As with all major airlines, Emirates also has a wide range of engineering support roles, including maintenance and production planning, component and materials management, quality assurance, as well as opportunities for extensive engineering training. As you would expect, their facilities are equipped to GCAA & EASA 147 standards, and they provide training that covers their entire fleet, so you can learn to work on different materials and new types of aircraft.
Etihad is the second largest airline in the UAE after Emirates, operating over 1,000 flights a week.
Etihad’s design, engineering, and innovation team help maintain the performance of their fleet, as well as delivering major modifications, complex retrofit projects, and technical support. Etihad’s design team often create customised solutions, providing tailored designs via their in-house production facility, allowing engineers to get hands-on experience with custom builds.
Etihad’s engineers work in collaboration with suppliers, universities, researchers and OEMs, offering project management and development services, allowing you to grow your network throughout your career.
Furthermore, in February of 2021, Etihad was the first airline in the world to fully vaccinate their pilots and crew, so it’s clear they take the health and safety of their employees seriously.
Founded in 1953, Lufthansa is one of the most respected and well-known airlines in the world, and the second largest in Europe in terms of passengers carried. It is also one of the five founding members of the Star Alliance, the largest air alliance in the world.
Lufthansa Technik is Lufthansa’s engineering subsidiary company, and has earned a reputation as an industry leader thanks to their development of maintenance programs that are customised for individual customers and their specific operational needs.
Airbus is one of the largest aerospace companies in the world. A multinational corporation, Airbus is actually a division of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, created in 2000 through the merger of Airbus, the aerospace division of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG of Germany, Aérospatiale-Matra of France, and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA of Spain, meaning some of the best talent from across Europe can be found in the Airbus team.
Airbus designs, manufactures, and sells aircraft, as well as satellites and space launch vehicles, making them one of the biggest names in the industry, across both the commercial and military sectors. Airbus is known for its wide range of aircraft, including their industry-leading jumbo jets.
Airbus employs over 140,000 people around the world, including some of the best engineers in the industry, so there are plenty of opportunities to learn and grow throughout your engineering career.
These are just some of the aviation companies you could work for as an aviation engineer. While these are some of the biggest, there are many other airlines and aerospace companies that can provide great experience and career growth when it comes to engineering.
Read more about the best careers in aerospace, or learn about how the aviation industry is shifting to a digital strategy.
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