Airbus is opening a fresh round of hiring for its A320 final assembly line taking shape at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, with openings for both experienced and entry-level flightline technicians.
According to job postings managed through the Alabama Industrial Development Training program, the starting training rate for flightline avionics and mechanical technicians is $20.50 an hour, while entry-level flightline avionics and mechanical technician trainees start at $16.50 an hour. Both tracks require six to nine months of training abroad before technicians report to work in Mobile.
Flightline avionics technicians will handle installation, testing and maintenance of electrical and electronic aircraft systems. Candidates need at least a high school diploma, specialized aeronautical training, and either a valid FCC license or an FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certification.
Flightline mechanical technicians will take on similar duties for mechanical, hydraulic, sheet metal and composite systems. Those roles call for a high school diploma, aeronautical training and a valid A&P license. Both experienced positions also require at least five years of commercial, vocational or military training in an aeronautical field, including at least three years working in production or repair for the A320 family of aircraft.
Entry-level flightline avionics and mechanical technicians will assist with those same duties. A high school diploma and specialized aeronautical training are required, though an FCC or A&P license and prior A320 experience are considered a plus rather than a requirement.
The hiring push is part of the ongoing buildout of Airbus’s first U.S. final assembly line, a roughly $600 million facility at the former Brookley Air Force Base site in Mobile. The plant was on track to come online in the summer of 2015, with the first Mobile-built aircraft expected to roll out in 2016. Once fully ramped up, the line is projected to employ around 1,000 workers and produce 40 to 50 aircraft annually by 2018.
The A320 program has become one of the most closely watched economic development projects on the Gulf Coast, drawing suppliers and support businesses to the Mobile area as the assembly line has moved from construction to operation. Local workforce officials have coordinated with Airbus and AIDT to recruit and train residents of Mobile and Baldwin counties for the specialized aerospace roles, aiming to fill many of the positions with homegrown talent rather than relocated workers.
Job seekers interested in the flightline technician openings or other positions tied to the Mobile assembly line are directed to apply through the AIDT jobs portal, which lists current postings as they become available throughout the hiring process.