Aircraft Engineers International (AEI) is the representative body of Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and represents approximately 40,000 Licensed Engineers from National Associations and trade unions worldwide.

AEI was formed in 1972 as a direct result of pressure being applied by the aviation industry, particularly airlines, to remove the Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. Over the past 40 years AEI has been the only international body able to provide the aircraft maintenance engineer/technician with an opportunity to influence global rulemaking whilst promoting the highest levels of aviation safety and standards.

AEI, by working with its members, develops common policies and positions and then promotes the adoption of such policies by the regulatory authorities. JAR and EASA regulations for example would have looked very different without the efforts of AEI. Indeed it is questionable as to whether there would even be a License today without the hard work undertaken on behalf of its members. Yet some challenges remain. AEI currently have members working hard within EASA working group 145.024 dealing with the responsibilities of B1/B2 Support Staff and EASA working group M.029 will be attempting to set clear lines of responsibility for Part M (CAMO) and Part 145 organizations. M.029 will also encompass the responsibilities surrounding issuing a release to service. As there are those within the aviation industry that would prefer the certificate of release to service NOT to be issued by a Licensed Engineer, this working group may yet prove to be extremely controversial.

Our global status ensures close cooperation with colleagues around the world. With an increasing amount of countries outside Europe now adopting EASA regulations, such cooperation will prove critical in maintaining standards. Exchanges of information and experiences helped tremendously during the introduction of Part 66 in Australia and New Zealand whilst the rapid expansion of the EU-US Bi-lateral agreements has seen us working very closely with our American colleagues.

AEI members are engineers and technicians who are prepared to give something to promote the status of the Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. If required they are also prepared to challenge policies developed by national authorities and industry, in order to ensure that safety remains paramount. You pay for the privilege of being a member of AEI but by doing so, you gain a voice for Engineers and Technicians. A voice that otherwise would not be heard.

Quite frankly there is no other international organization Engineers and Technicians can reach out to that has the same depth of knowledge and experience as AEI. AEI is constantly working extremely hard at promoting the License whilst emphasizing the importance of maintaining high maintenance safety standards.

AEI belongs to its members and it is they who maintain control wherever they are in the world through the various democratic processes described in its constitution. AEI is well aware that it could not exist without the expertise of its member associations and so this is reflected in the way it does business. It is the affiliates who decide AEI policy, not some third party. The AEI executive board is made up of engineers nominated by member associations and democratically elected at Annual Congress. This is how we ensure that AEI remains non-political and always firmly in the hands of engineers and technicians.

If you are an organization representing aircraft maintenance technicians, Aircraft Engineers International is your organization. It is democratic in outlook and operation and follows no political agenda, working only for the good of the Aircraft Maintenance Certifying Engineer and for Flight Safety in general.

It is an extremely precious commodity, please support it. Together we can make a difference.