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Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME)

Stable

Skilled Trades

Inspects, maintains and certifies aircraft airworthiness at MRO facilities and airlines. Requires a CAAM Part-66 licence; pay rises sharply once licensed, with strong demand from MAB Engineering, AirAsia and regional MRO hubs.

AviationMechanical EngineeringElectrical Engineering

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workAn airport or hangar

  • Outdoors most days, in all weather
  • On your feet for most of the day
  • Regular working hours
  • A noisy workplace

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

In Malaysia

How people get into it here
SPM → Basic licence training at a CAAM Part-147 school (e.g. UniKL MIAT) → CAAM Part-66 module examinations → Two years of logged hands-on maintenance experience on operating aircraft → CAAM Part-66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence (age 21 and above) → Aircraft Maintenance Engineer

Sources:caam.gov.my

Pay in the private market

Monthly pay from fresh grad to mid-career, from the salary guide cited on this page.

Entry

Private
RM3,000 – RM4,200

Mid-career

Private
RM6,000 – RM10,000

Government pay isn't shown: we haven't yet sourced the SSPA civil-service salary tables, and we won't estimate them.

Job demand outlook

Stable

Steady, reliable demand: a consistent number of openings.

Your readiness

How your current SPM subjects line up with this career.

Add your SPM grades to see how ready you are for this career.

Add my grades

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. Typical entry

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationPost-secondary certificate
The full route to this careerThe steps from school, UPU programmes and sourced costs, read against your answers.

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

TVET

Hands-on trades with strong employability: ILP, ADTEC, kolej vokasional, GiatMARA.

1–3 years
Compare routes against your results and interests

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

Quick answers

How do you become an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) in Malaysia?

SPM → Basic licence training at a CAAM Part-147 school (e.g. UniKL MIAT) → CAAM Part-66 module examinations → Two years of logged hands-on maintenance experience on operating aircraft → CAAM Part-66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence (age 21 and above) → Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. Registration with Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) is required to practise.

What should I study to become an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME)?

Related fields of study: Aviation, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. SPM subjects that help most: Mechanical Engineering Studies, Physics, Design & Technology (RBT) and Additional Mathematics.

How much does an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) earn in Malaysia?

Published figures put starting pay at RM3,000 – RM4,200 a month, and RM6,000 – RM10,000 with experience (source: PayScale Malaysia / CAAM, Jan 2026).

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Inspect completed work to certify that maintenance meets standards and that aircraft are ready for operation.
  2. 2Read and interpret maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and other specifications to determine the feasibility and method of repairing or replacing malfunctioning or damaged components.
  3. 3Maintain repair logs, documenting all preventive and corrective aircraft maintenance.
  4. 4Examine and inspect aircraft components, including landing gear, hydraulic systems, and deicers to locate cracks, breaks, leaks, or other problems.
  5. 5Conduct routine and special inspections as required by regulations.
  6. 6Inspect airframes for wear or other defects.
  7. 7Replace or repair worn, defective, or damaged components, using hand tools, gauges, and testing equipment.
  8. 8Check for corrosion, distortion, and invisible cracks in the fuselage, wings, and tail, using x-ray and magnetic inspection equipment.
  9. 9Measure parts for wear, using precision instruments.
  10. 10Remove or install aircraft engines, using hoists or forklift trucks.
  11. 11Service and maintain aircraft and related apparatus by performing activities such as flushing crankcases, cleaning screens, and or moving parts.
  12. 12Assemble and install electrical, plumbing, mechanical, hydraulic, and structural components and accessories, using hand or power tools.
  13. 13Test operation of engines and other systems, using test equipment, such as ignition analyzers, compression checkers, distributor timers, or ammeters.
  14. 14Reassemble engines following repair or inspection and reinstall engines in aircraft.
  15. 15Maintain, repair, and rebuild aircraft structures, functional components, and parts, such as wings and fuselage, rigging, hydraulic units, oxygen systems, fuel systems, electrical systems, gaskets, or seals.
  16. 16Measure the tension of control cables.
  17. 17Read and interpret pilots' descriptions of problems to diagnose causes.
  18. 18Determine repair limits for engine hot section parts.
  19. 19Obtain fuel and oil samples and check them for contamination.
  20. 20Examine engines through specially designed openings while working from ladders or scaffolds, or use hoists or lifts to remove the entire engine from an aircraft.
  21. 21Listen to operating engines to detect and diagnose malfunctions, such as sticking or burned valves.
  22. 22Remove or cut out defective parts or drill holes to gain access to internal defects or damage, using drills and punches.
  23. 23Communicate with other workers to coordinate fitting and alignment of heavy parts, or to facilitate processing of repair parts.
  24. 24Inventory and requisition or order supplies, parts, materials, and equipment.
  25. 25Clean, refuel, and change oil in line service aircraft.
  26. 26Modify aircraft structures, space vehicles, systems, or components, following drawings, schematics, charts, engineering orders, and technical publications.
  27. 27Disassemble engines and inspect parts, such as turbine blades or cylinders, for corrosion, wear, warping, cracks, and leaks, using precision measuring instruments, x-rays, and magnetic inspection equipment.
  28. 28Clean engines, sediment bulk and screens, and carburetors, adjusting carburetor float levels.
  29. 29Remove, inspect, repair, and install in-flight refueling stores and external fuel tanks.
  30. 30Install and align repaired or replacement parts for subsequent riveting or welding, using clamps and wrenches.
  31. 31Accompany aircraft on flights to make in-flight adjustments and corrections.
  32. 32Locate and mark dimensions and reference lines on defective or replacement parts, using templates, scribes, compasses, and steel rules.
  33. 33Spread plastic film over areas to be repaired to prevent damage to surrounding areas.
  34. 34Fabricate defective sections or parts, using metal fabricating machines, saws, brakes, shears, and grinders.
  35. 35Clean, strip, prime, and sand structural surfaces and materials to prepare them for bonding.
  36. 36Trim and shape replacement body sections to specified sizes and fits and secure sections in place, using adhesives, hand tools, and power tools.
  37. 37Cure bonded structures, using portable or stationary curing equipment.
  38. 38Prepare and paint aircraft surfaces.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • AMT
  • GSE Tech
  • Engineman
  • A and P Tech
  • Jet Mechanic
  • Aircraft Tech
  • Airframe Tech
  • Airplane Tech
  • Aircraft Worker
  • Airplane Rigger

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
PhysicsDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
InventionDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Mechanical94%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Public Safety and Security76%
  • Engineering and Technology75%

    PhysicsAdditional MathematicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • English Language75%

    English

  • Transportation74%
  • Education and Training66%

Skills to build

Hands-on focusSafety disciplineReliability

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • Outdoors, in all weatherOften
  • Noisy environmentEvery day
  • Time spent sittingA little

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

1%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

On Malaysia's official shortage list

TalentCorp and ILMIA's Critical Occupations List, evidence of a real hiring shortage in Malaysia right now.

Aircraft Technicians · Shortage indicators met: INSUFFICIENT DATA

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 16 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

15 of 16 were internships

Allowance or pay, when stated

RM850 – RM1,200

10 of 16 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM850 and RM1,200 a month. Many print none.

Languages named

Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

Source: PayScale Malaysia / CAAM · as of Jan 2026

Check the salary figures yourself:PayScaleCAAM

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org