In celebration of Aviation Maintenance Technician Day, Delta TechOps took over two bays usually home to Delta’s fleet undergoing maintenance for a day of fast cars and barbeque on Thursday.

AMTs work every day to ensure that Delta delivers on the airline’s industry-leading reliability that customers have come to expect. Today, this hardworking group had a chance to sit back, relax and explore 60 vendor booths packed with the latest and greatest tools and gear.

More than 9,000 employees came out to enjoy the event in Atlanta, with more celebrating in Minneapolis on June 9.

”This event is always a spectacular one, this year especially with Ed stopping by,” said Allan McClure, AMT – Component Maintenance. “TechOps leaders came out and that really makes you feel very appreciated.” 

Delta released a video saluting the more than 10,000 maintenance professionals who form “the backbone of the Delta operation,” earlier this week.

Click below for a Flickr album of the day’s event: