Ministers Owen Bonnici, Silvio Schembri and Julia Farrugia Portelli preside over Lufthansa Technik Malta welcoming ceremony of its services on the Airbus A350
Minister for Education and Employment Owen Bonnici, Minister for Economy, Investment and Small Businesses Silvio Schembri and Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection Julia Farrugia Portelli presided over Lufthansa Technik Malta’s welcoming ceremony of its first services on the A350 aircraft.
During the ceremony, Minister for Education and Employment Owen Bonnici remarked that the aviation industry has proven to be a key player in our economy, especially in the past few years, whereby companies like Lufthansa Technik Malta have kept on investing and enlarging their operations in our country. This is due not only to Malta’s geographical position, but also because of a well-established trained workforce which provides companies like Lufthansa Technik Malta with the necessary skilled employees, who do not only possess technical qualities, but also a strong work ethic.
“The collaboration between the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology and Lufthansa Technik Malta provides for the necessary setup in training students on the job, whilst also guaranteeing exciting career prospects. Today, this company employs around 650 people, a fifth of which are students and trainees in various stages of their training. Since its inception, Lufthansa Technik Malta, together with MCAST, has already produced and trained more than 500 people across various trades and skills. As a matter of fact, the repair and maintenance workforce within the sector has grown 5% in the last 4 years,” Minister Bonnici continued.
In his address, Minister for Economy, Investment and Small Businesses Silvio Schembri thanked Lufthansa Technik Malta for taking the initiative to start servicing the A350 aircraft in both its variant models in Malta, and thanked Lufthansa as well, for once again putting their confidence in the local Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul industry.
“As the Minister responsible for the national airline, I see Lufthansa Technik Malta and Air Malta as important allies in strengthening further the aviation industry, particularly within the maintenance sector. Lufthansa Technik expansion plans that amount to a €25 million investment bestow further trust in our thriving economy, which is set to keep on going at the same pace in terms of growth, with the European Commission predicting that, in the coming months, Malta will experience the highest growth in the EU,” said Minister Schembri.
Minister Silvio Schembri thanked his predecessor Dr Chris Cardona for his work, as well as both Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks which are assisting Lufthansa Technik Malta in implementing its projects.
Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection Julia Farrugia Portelli expressed her satisfaction at Lufthansa Technik Malta for its continuous effort over the years to further strengthen its operations in our country. The is evident through the arrival of the first Lufthansa A350 aircraft.
Minister Farrugia Portelli praised the 2019 results, in which the Malta International Airport recorded a 7.4% increase in passenger traffic when compared to 2018, which is equivalent to a total of 7.3 million passenger movements. “Out of this number, over 300,000 passengers were carried by Lufthansa, which registered an increase of 2.2% when compared to the previous year,” said Minister Farrugia Portelli.
She acknowledged that Malta is an ideal base for the establishment of the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) service. “The government is committed to the drawing up of an aviation master plan to ensure further expansion,” concluded the Minister.
“We are honoured to be the only facility in the Lufthansa Technik Network to be performing these checks on Airbus A350s. It represents the future of our modernized portfolio and allows our staff to grow in size and in expertise in advanced technologies. Furthermore, in 2020, this milestone for Lufthansa Technik Malta is even more meaningful given that it coincides with an important anniversary of our parent Lufthansa Technik AG, which began operations as an independent stock company 25 years ago,” Lufthansa Technik CEO Marcus Motschenbacher said.
German Ambassador Walter Haßmann was also present during the ceremony.