Saturday, 4th April 2009 - 16:00CET
Lufthansa Technik inaugurates new facility
Dr Gonzi speaking at the opening of the Lufthansa Technik facility. Photo: DOI, Omar Camilleri
Lufthansa Technik Malta this afternoon inaugurated an Airbus wide-body aircraft overhaul facility with two bays.
With this new facility, it will be able to accommodate two wide-body aircraft simultaneously to overhaul Airbuses A330s and A340s.
The new hangar will also accommodate a number of workshops to support the facility.
Inaugurating the building, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that this 60 million euro investment was a step towards achieving excellence in high value added manufacturing.
"What started back in 2002 as a collaboration between Air Malta and Lufthansa Technik to provide a high quality service is now becoming an important sector in Malta’s diverse economy and confirmation that Malta can achieve its ambitious targets."
Dr Gonzi said that apart from being a testimony to Malta’s foreign investment attractiveness Lufthansa’s presence was also a strong vote of confidence in the Maltese workforce.
"Malta’s flexible, highly-skilled and dedicated workforce has been and is one of the most determining factors why foreign investors choose Malta as an investment destination.
"Even for Lufthansa Technik, the work ethic of the Maltese workforce has been a crucial determinant in this expansion," he said adding that this was confirmed to him by the company’s directors when he visited Lufthansa Technik’s headquarters in Germany earlier this year.
He pointed out that what started off seven years ago as an operation consisting of a 100 workers was now a multi-million investment with a workforce reaching the 400 mark and which was expected to reach 700 by the end of 2010.
Lufthansa Technik's customers include Spanair, Eurocypria, NEOS, Windjet, WIZZ, SN Brussels, Livingston, Volareweb.com, Karthago Airlines, Blue Wings AG, Tui Nordic, Hellas Jet and Bulgaria Air.
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I have to correct you on your last question. Those workers were not allowed to go to waste. They were led to waste; they were used and then thrown out as waste by those who pretended to be their leaders. Those workers could have been using their skills, but alas, their political use dictated otherwise.
I wish to congratulate Lufthansa Technik Malta for their achievements.
May I suggest that LTM explores the possibility of servicing some of the A319s and A320s of United Airlines. Perhaps such a service would encourage United Airlines to consider introducing flights from the U.S. to Malta as part of their code-sharing agreement with Lufthansa.
Is it not ironic that our workers have no problem meeting challenges and the set objectives of time, cost, quality, commitment and flexibility in new aviation services, while those who excelled in a tradition that goes back to the times of the Knights in ship repairing have been allowed to go to waste?