American Airlines is adding about 500 jobs for aircraft maintenance technicians to work on planes in Charlotte and two other cities, the carrier announced Monday.

A total of 133 incremental maintenance positions are now available in Charlotte, according to a news release from the airline. This includes 122 aircraft maintenance technician, or jobs. AMTs inspect and repair planes to make sure they are safe and operational.

For American, the new jobs represent an opportunity to grow its maintenance capacity and capabilities at the airport, said Greg Emerson, vice president of base maintenance and facilities.

The hiring process starts while future AMTs are in the classroom at schools across the U.S., according to the airline. American’s Technical Operations team works with students at institutions such as Tulsa Tech, West Los Angeles College and the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Charlotte.

Top-performing students are guaranteed interviews with American after graduation and obtaining related licenses for the jobs.

The jobs at Charlotte Douglas International Airport was a part of an announcement that also included base maintenance teams in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Pittsburgh. American previously added more than 300 positions to its Tulsa maintenance base.

American Airlines at CLT

American Airlines accounts for about 87% of the flights at the Charlotte airport. Charlotte Douglas is the second-largest hub for the Fort Worth, Texas-based company.

One of the airline’s biggest jets is coming to Charlotte Douglas with the 304-seat Boeing 777-300ER. In November, It will provide one of three daily flights from Charlotte to London’s Heathrow Airport.

CLT served 53.4 million passengers last year — an 11.9% increase from 2022, according to the Airports Council International-North America. It is the seventh-busiest airport worldwide for arrivals and departures, according to ACI rankings for 2023.

This is a developing story