Skip to content

Aircraft interior technician

Also called aircraft upholstrer, aircraft furniture maker, aircraft furnishing maker

Aircraft interior technicians manufacture, assemble and repair interior components for aircrafts such as seats, carpeting, door panels, ceiling, lighting, etc. They also replace entertainment equipment such as video systems. They inspect incoming materials and prepare the vehicle interior for new components.

Will there be jobs?Limited prospects15 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Food processing, woodworking, garment and other craft and related trades workersWhat does it pay?Below averageFrom about €1,000 (Bulgaria) to €4,800 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Food processing, woodworking, garment and other craft and related trades workersWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training. 7 in 10 train through vocational routes.Food processing, woodworking, garment and other craft and related trades workersWill AI change it?Very littleLevel 1 of 6. AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.Upholsterers and related workers · ILO

What you'd do

Upholsterers and related workers · ILO
  • Discussing upholstery fabric, colour and style with customers and providing cost estimate for upholstering furniture or other items
  • Making upholstery patterns from sketches, customer descriptions or blueprints
  • Laying out, measuring and cutting upholstery materials following patterns, templates, sketches, or design specifications
  • Installing, arranging and securing springs, padding and covering material to furniture frames
  • Sewing upholstery materials by hand to seam cushions and joining sections of covering materials
  • Sewing rips or tears in material, or creating tufting, using needle and thread
  • Tacking, gluing or sewing ornamental trims, buckles, braids, buttons and other accessories to covers or frames on upholstered items
  • Laying out, cutting, fabricating and installing upholstery in aircrafts, motor vehicles, railway cars, boats and ships
  • Repairing raw hide covering of artificial limbs
  • Renovating antique furniture using a variety of tools including ripping chisels, magnetic hammers and long needles
  • Collaborating with interior designers to decorate rooms and coordinate furnishing fabrics
  • Making quilts, cushions and mattresses
Fasten componentsApply preliminary treatment to workpiecesMeasure parts of manufactured productsUse power toolsTest electronic units+ 7 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • A mix of sitting and standing
  • Lots of contact with people
  • Some freedom to decide
  • Often more than 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the related, broader US job "Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers"

Will there be jobs?

Limited prospects

Fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.

People working as food processing, woodworking, garment and other craft and related trades workers in the EU
4.07m3.96m3.58m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
910,000 replacing leavers 332,000 jobs disappear
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Food processing, woodworking, garment and other craft and related trades workers15
All jobs29
Right now
8 of 27 countries report a shortage of upholsterers and related workers, 3 a surplus.
Upholsterers and related workers · EURES

What does it pay?

Below average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €4,800 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among craft and related trades workers in the EU, women earn 26% less per hour than men. Craft and related trades workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training in textiles (clothes, footwear and leather) is the usual route.

Highest qualification of food processing, woodworking, garment and other craft and related trades workers (EU, 2025)
Degree 11%Vocational 53%General secondary 10%Basic schooling 26%
Field that teaches it
Textiles (clothes, footwear and leather)
Vocational route, EU
7 in 10 trainees in this field

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Very little

AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.18 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 12 tasks
Discussing upholstery fabric, colour and style with customers and providing cost estimate for upholstering furniture or other items0.37
Collaborating with interior designers to decorate rooms and coordinate furnishing fabrics0.34
Making upholstery patterns from sketches, customer descriptions or blueprints0.24
Laying out, cutting, fabricating and installing upholstery in aircrafts, motor vehicles, railway cars, boats and ships0.15
Tacking, gluing or sewing ornamental trims, buckles, braids, buttons and other accessories to covers or frames on upholstered items0.15
Making quilts, cushions and mattresses0.14
Renovating antique furniture using a variety of tools including ripping chisels, magnetic hammers and long needles0.14
Laying out, measuring and cutting upholstery materials following patterns, templates, sketches, or design specifications0.13
Installing, arranging and securing springs, padding and covering material to furniture frames0.13
Sewing rips or tears in material, or creating tufting, using needle and thread0.12
Sewing upholstery materials by hand to seam cushions and joining sections of covering materials0.12
Repairing raw hide covering of artificial limbs0.08

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for upholsterers and related workers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).