Huge new hangar will take two super jumbos

The foundation laying ceremony for the new Lufthansa Technik Malta hangar was held yesterday in Hal Farrug, where the new aircraft maintenance facility which spans an area the size of eight football pitches will be built by next summer.

The new hangar, expected to generate more than 500 new jobs in five years with an investment of over €55 million by the government and Lufthansa Technik, will be one of the first European hangars that can accommodate the super jumbo Airbus A380.

The first aircraft will be serviced in the hangar in the last quarter of 2008, Lufthansa Technik Malta chief executive officer Louis Giordimaina said yesterday.

Lufthansa Technik Malta was set up in January 2003 as a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik AG and Air Malta. It has since grown and carried out over 260 C-checks on aircraft.

It has a full-time workforce of 160 employees, 60 apprentices and a growing list of customers.

The new facility will make it possible for the company to carry out overhauls on wide-bodied aircraft, particularly the Airbus A330 and A340.

The hangar will be built over an area of 27,000 sq m and span 270m, with a depth of 90m and a height of 34m, the equivalent of 10 storeys.

The hangar will be able to accommodate two wide-bodied aircraft and two narrow-bodied aircraft simultaneously.

At the back of the hangar will be a five-storey building which will house a stores and logistics centre and workshops to complement the aircraft overhaul business and administration. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi defined the laying of the foundation of the new hangar as a milestone in the country's ambitious goal to attract capital investment in high value-added areas requiring specialised human resources.

Dr Gonzi said Lufthansa Technik's decision to expand operations in Malta was a vote of confidence in Malta.

"Indeed, it is equally reflective of (the) government's political and economic strategy which is resulting in attracting record levels of foreign direct investment of high added-value to our shores," Dr Gonzi said.

The Prime Minister praised Lufthansa Technik Malta for taking up 60 apprentices from the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) following specialised courses in aircraft maintenance.

"We have to remain committed to training so that investors like Lufthansa continue to find men and women with the right skills and with a motivation to continue training and retraining."

Wolfgang Mayrhuber, chairman of the executive board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, was present for yesterday's ceremony.