American’s Maintenance Base at PIT Grows in Importance

American Airlines’ long history in Western Pennsylvania is entering a new era as the airline heavily invests in its maintenance base at Pittsburgh International Airport.

This year, the base expects to have more than 320 aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs), or mechanics—nearly double its staffing level from August 2022. And that doesn’t count support staff, such as inspectors and aircraft cleaners, who work at the facility as well.

In all, the base expects to add more than 200 jobs between this year and next, with the base supporting approximately 600 jobs in total.

The ongoing staffing additions have made Pittsburgh the second-largest maintenance base in American’s entire network, behind only Tulsa. And Mark Mascara, the airline’s base senior manager, believes opportunity remains.

“We’re going to do our bread-and-butter C-check. We’re going to do what we can for the airline,” he said. “But there’s still more that we can do, more that we can give.”

Officials at Pittsburgh International Airport value the maintenance base’s role not just at the airport, but in the wider community as well.

“The airport is an economic engine for our region, and our airline partners are obviously a significant part of that impact,” said Bryan Dietz, Senior Vice President, Air Service & Commercial Development.

“American’s base has been here for decades and hosted thousands of high-paying jobs in that time,” he said. “We know the critical role this base plays not just for the airline and for Western Pennsylvania but for the aviation system in safely ensuring American Airlines can keep our customers moving. We will continue to support this base’s success story and continued growth.”

Getting the job done

The American facility at PIT serves Airbus narrowbody aircraft, which make up about half of the airline’s nearly 1,000-plane fleet—the largest in the world. It operates more Airbus A319, A320 and A321 models than any other airline on the planet.

The airline’s facility at PIT, designated an “Airbus Center of Excellence” for its expertise, has room for three aircraft at a time, two of which are reserved for C-checks. These are the routine maintenance reviews every aircraft in the fleet must undergo every six years.

C-checks include work like examining the fuselage and wings for damage, checking the operation of electrical connections, working on landing gear and engines, completing wiring modifications, and inspecting flight controls. It can take thousands of maintenance hours to complete a C-check.

Aircraft due for a check are scheduled for a route that serves PIT, pulled out of service for work and then rotated back into service after the check is complete. Mechanics at the base turn an aircraft in less than 11 days, about four days better than comparable facilities elsewhere in the U.S.

In fact, in the last quarter of 2023, the team has only missed the timeline on one plane, which was two shifts late—less than a day. Asked how his team does it, Mascara doesn’t hesitate.

“It’s pride,” he said.