Aircraft maintenance and related trades: salary in the UK
About £38,774 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +6.3% on last year
£4,080 a month About £3,231 a month after tax 9 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £34,535 in 2021 to £48,965 in 2026 (+42%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | x | x | £34,535 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | £30,530 | £36,415 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £37,272 | £44,094 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £34,829 | £44,979 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | £36,353 | £46,052 | x | x |
| 2026 | x | £39,219 | £48,965 | x | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £48,965 a year and half earn more. That is 20% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 80 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,231 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,126 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | £35,465 | £2,955 |
| 25th (P25) | £39,219 | £3,268 |
| 30th | £41,214 | £3,435 |
| 40th | £45,314 | £3,776 |
| Median (50th) | £48,965 | £4,080 |
| 60th | £52,753 | £4,396 |
| 70th | x | x |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £50,775 | £55,946 | 7 |
| Women | x | £40,604 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £38,774 | £3,231 |
| Scotland | £37,506 | £3,126 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £49,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 34 job titles to SOC 5234 Aircraft maintenance and related trades. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Aero engine fitter
- Aero engineer
- Aeronautical engineer
- Aerospace engineer
- Air frame fitter
- Aircraft electrician
- Aircraft engine dismantler
- Aircraft engine fitter
- Aircraft engineer
- Aircraft fitter
- Aircraft instrument fitter
- Aircraft maintenance engineer
- Aircraft mechanic
- Aircraft refurbisher
- Aircraft support fitter
- Airframe fitter
- Airline engineer
- Aviation engineer
- Engineer
- Etcher
- Finisher
- Fitter
- Helicopter engineer
- Instrument fitter
- Jet engine tester-rectifier
- Maintenance engineer
- Maintenance fitter
- Maintenance hand
- Maintenance man
- Mechanic
- Mechanical fitter
- Service engineer
- Service fitter
- TTO
Similar occupations
All jobs in Skilled trades occupations
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.