Aircraft Maintenance Technician Licensing: EASA Part-66, FAA A&P, and GCAA Requirements

Aircraft maintenance technician licensing is the regulatory mechanism that authorises an individual to certify aircraft, engines, components, and equipment as airworthy and to release them to service after maintenance. The three frameworks most often referenced in international aviation procurement and operations are the FAA Mechanic Certificate under 14 CFR Part 65 (commonly called the A&P), the EASA Part-66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence (AML), and the GCAA / GACA / QCAA equivalents issued by Gulf civil aviation authorities. Each system defines licence categories, prior-experience requirements, examination structures, and continuing-authorisation rules, and each interfaces differently with the recognition frameworks of the others.

FAA Mechanic Certificate (14 CFR Part 65, Subpart D)

The FAA Mechanic Certificate, more commonly known as the A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) certificate, is issued under 14 CFR Part 65, Subpart D. It authorises the holder to perform and approve for return to service maintenance, preventive maintenance, and alterations on aircraft and aircraft components within the scope of the rating held.

Ratings

The Mechanic Certificate is issued with one or both of two ratings:

Airframe rating — authorises work on the airframe, structures, fuselage components, and related systems.
Powerplant rating — authorises work on aircraft engines, propellers, and engine accessories.

Most working mechanics hold both ratings (the "A&P"), as either rating alone is limited in scope.

Eligibility and Experience Requirements

To obtain the certificate, an applicant must:

Be at least 18 years of age and able to read, speak, write, and understand English.
Demonstrate practical experience or formal training. The standard experience paths are:
- 30 months of practical experience working on both airframes and powerplants for the combined A&P certificate, or
- 18 months of practical experience for a single rating (Airframe or Powerplant only), or
- Graduation from an FAA-approved Aviation Maintenance Technician School certificated under 14 CFR Part 147, which substitutes for the experience requirement.
Pass three FAA examinations: a written (knowledge) test, an oral test, and a practical (hands-on) test administered by a Designated Mechanic Examiner (DME) or FAA inspector.

Inspection Authorization (IA)

A separate authorisation, the Inspection Authorization (IA) under 14 CFR Part 65 Subpart D, allows a mechanic to perform annual and progressive inspections and to approve major repairs and major alterations. Eligibility requires that the mechanic has held an A&P certificate for at least three years and has been actively engaged in mechanic activities for at least the preceding two years, among other criteria. The IA must be renewed at defined intervals.

EASA Part-66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence

EASA Part-66, codified in Annex III of Commission Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014, defines the European framework for aircraft maintenance licensing. The licence authorises the holder to issue Certificates of Release to Service (CRS) within the scope of the categories, sub-categories, and aircraft type ratings endorsed.

Categories and Sub-Categories

Part-66 organises mechanic privileges into categories aligned with the complexity of the work and the type of aircraft:

Category A — Line maintenance certifying mechanic, authorising the release of minor scheduled line maintenance and simple defect rectification within tasks specified in the maintenance organisation's exposition. Sub-categories:
- A1: Aeroplanes Turbine
- A2: Aeroplanes Piston
- A3: Helicopters Turbine
- A4: Helicopters Piston
Category B1 — Maintenance certifying staff (mechanical), authorising release after airframe, engine, mechanical, and electrical work, plus certain avionics tasks not requiring troubleshooting. Sub-categories:
- B1.1: Aeroplanes Turbine
- B1.2: Aeroplanes Piston
- B1.3: Helicopters Turbine
- B1.4: Helicopters Piston
Category B2 — Avionics certifying staff, authorising release after avionics and electrical work, including troubleshooting.
Category B2L — A restricted variant of B2 introduced for ELA (European Light Aircraft) avionics.
Category B3 — Piston-engine non-pressurised aeroplanes of 2,000 kg MTOM and below.
Category L — Sailplanes, powered sailplanes, balloons, and airships within defined scope.
Category C — Base maintenance certifying staff for large aircraft, authorising the release of the aircraft following base maintenance. Category C requires a B1, B2, or academic prerequisite, plus base-maintenance-specific knowledge.

Basic Experience Requirements

The basic practical-experience requirements before a Part-66 licence may be issued are set out in Part-66.A.30 and vary according to whether the applicant has completed a Part-147 approved training course:

Category A: 3 years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft if no relevant technical training; 2 years for a holder of a basic skilled-worker qualification in a technical trade; 1 year for a graduate of a Part-147 approved basic course.
Category B1 / B2: 5 years of practical experience if no relevant technical training; 3 years for a skilled-worker qualification; 2 years for a Part-147 graduate.
Category B3: similar reduced experience for Part-147 graduates, with specific provisions in Part-66.A.30.
Category C (large aircraft): typically requires either a B1 or B2 licence held for a defined period, or an academic degree in a relevant technical discipline plus aviation experience.

For upgrades between sub-categories — for example, A3 to A1, or B1.2 to B1.1 — Part-66 prescribes additional basic-knowledge and practical-experience requirements appropriate to the differential in scope (turbine vs piston, helicopter vs aeroplane).

Basic Knowledge Examinations

Applicants must pass the modular basic knowledge examinations appropriate to the category, covering modules such as mathematics, physics, electrical fundamentals, aerodynamics, human factors, aviation legislation, and category-specific technical content. The module list and pass standards are defined in Part-66 Appendix I and II.

Recency and Continuing Authorisation

Under Part-66.A.20, the privileges of a Part-66 licence may only be exercised when the holder has acquired six months of maintenance experience in the preceding two years, or has met an equivalent provision. In practice the certifying authorisation is granted by the employing Part-145 or Part-CAO maintenance organisation, which is responsible for ensuring competence and recency before issuing certifying privileges.

Gulf Authority Equivalents (GCAA, GACA, QCAA)

The Gulf civil aviation authorities operate maintenance licensing frameworks that are structurally aligned with EASA Part-66:

UAE — GCAA (General Civil Aviation Authority) issues the GCAA Aircraft Maintenance Licence under CAR-66, the UAE Civil Aviation Regulation closely modelled on EASA Part-66. The GCAA licence uses equivalent A, B1, B2, B3, and C categories and similar experience criteria, with UAE-specific examination and conversion procedures.
Saudi Arabia — GACA (General Authority of Civil Aviation) issues licences under GACAR Part 66, also modelled on EASA Part-66.
Qatar — QCAA (Qatar Civil Aviation Authority) issues licences under the Qatari Civil Aviation Regulations, again structured similarly to Part-66.
Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait maintain their own civil aviation authority frameworks, generally Part-66-aligned.

Because the Gulf frameworks are aligned with — but not identical to — EASA Part-66, conversion of an EASA licence to a Gulf authority licence typically requires submission of the EASA licence, supporting documentation of basic-knowledge modules passed, evidence of experience, and a national-specific conversion examination or legislation module. Acceptance procedures are defined in each authority's published guidance.

Cross-Acceptance Between FAA, EASA, and Gulf Frameworks

There is no automatic mutual recognition of mechanic licences between the FAA Part 65 system and the EASA Part-66 system. An FAA A&P holder cannot directly exercise Part-66 privileges in EASA jurisdiction, and an EASA Part-66 licence holder cannot directly exercise A&P privileges in the United States. Conversion in either direction typically requires:

Demonstration of equivalent experience and training.
Sitting additional knowledge examinations on legislation and any differential technical content.
In some cases, demonstration of recent practical experience.

The FAA-EASA Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) primarily addresses aircraft, parts, and organisation approvals; mechanic licensing is not within its direct scope. Bilateral arrangements between Gulf authorities and EASA (and between Gulf authorities and the FAA) similarly require case-by-case acceptance evidenced by the receiving authority.

Maintenance organisations operating internationally typically address this by ensuring that certifying staff hold a licence accepted by the state of registry of the aircraft they release.

Staying Current with EASA Regulations

Because EU regulations and their implementing rules are revised regularly, the authoritative current reference is the EASA Easy Access Rules — consolidated documents published by EASA that combine the regulation, the Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC), and the Guidance Material (GM) for each Part. The Easy Access Rules for Continuing Airworthiness (Part-M, Part-CAMO, Part-CAO, Part-145, Part-66, Part-147) is the consolidated document covering maintenance personnel and organisations. Equivalent consolidated rule documents are maintained by the UK CAA (post-Brexit, under retained law plus subsequent amendments) and by EASA for Initial Airworthiness (Part-21), Air Operations (Part-ORO / Part-CAT), and Flight Crew Licensing (Part-FCL).

Key Takeaways

The three principal frameworks for aircraft maintenance technician licensing are FAA Part 65 (A&P certificate), EASA Part-66 (Aircraft Maintenance Licence), and the Part-66-aligned Gulf authority equivalents (GCAA CAR-66, GACA GACAR Part 66, QCAA Qatar regulations).
FAA A&P eligibility requires 30 months of combined practical experience (or 18 months for a single rating) or graduation from a 14 CFR Part 147 school, plus three examinations (written, oral, practical).
EASA Part-66 uses category A / B1 / B2 / B3 / C, with sub-categories distinguishing aeroplane vs helicopter and turbine vs piston work, and basic-experience requirements that are substantially reduced for graduates of Part-147 approved training organisations.
EASA Part-66 recency requires six months of maintenance experience in the preceding two years; certifying authorisation is granted by the employing Part-145 or Part-CAO organisation.
Gulf authorities operate Part-66-aligned frameworks but require their own conversion procedures and examinations; licences are not auto-converted between FAA, EASA, and Gulf systems.
The FAA-EASA BASA does not directly cover mechanic licensing; cross-jurisdiction working requires conversion to a licence accepted by the aircraft's state of registry.
The authoritative source for current EU rules is the EASA Easy Access Rules, which consolidate regulation, AMC, and GM for each Part — including the Easy Access Rules for Continuing Airworthiness that govern Part-66 and Part-147.