American Airlines to add 400 jobs in Tulsa

The hiring sign has been put up at the American Airlines facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The carrier said it's adding 400 jobs at its maintenance facility in Tulsa, marking what an airline official calls the largest workforce addition to that base in over a decade.

About 330 of the new positions will be filled by mechanics who have the potential to earn six figures as they accrue seniority, airline officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The remaining positions will be offered at a lower salary.

The new mechanics will focus their time on aircraft overhaul, landing gear overhaul for some Boeing aircraft, especially the 787 "Dreamliner" fleet.

Recruiting will primarily target mechanics who are licensed through the Federal Aviation Administration.

Hiring is expected to continue over the next four months.

The base, also known as Tech Ops-Tulsa, now employs 5,200 people.

This week's airline announcement comes three months after American Airlines filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Fort Worth, Texas, against the Transport Workers Union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which together represent American's roughly 10,000 aircraft mechanics.

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The Fort Worth-based airline accuses mechanics of causing about 900 cancellations or long delays since early February by taking an unusually long time to repair planes and by refusing to work overtime.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.