Pride in the sky

National pride pervaded the SR Technics hangar in Safi yesterday as Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi rechristened the first plane re-delivered to EasyJet from the hangar.

Pulling the curtain off the first Airbus A319 to be repaired at the facility, Dr Gonzi revealed the name Pride of Malta, following which SR Technics’ CEO, James Stewart poured champagne over it.

“Eleven months ago, we had just announced that SR Technics would be coming to Malta,” Dr Gonzi said. “Today, 11 months down the line, we are witnessing the re-delivery of the first EasyJet aircraft serviced in Malta by SR Technics.”

Expressing “immense satisfaction and pride”, Dr Gonzi said the “aeroplane evidences Malta’s people power as the core tenet for our country’s investment attractiveness and economic potential.

“Just stop and think for a moment that some of the people who did the maintenance check on this aircraft were, 11 months ago, unemployed or dockyard workers.

“Today, they have embraced new skills, which enable them to work in this highly specialised industrial sector,” he said, emphasising that the €17 million Safi Air Park would further facilitate the expansion of the industry.

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said the government would continue to attract more business to Malta in this field “with cautious optimism”. In a world where the only constant was change, Maltese workers had demonstrated their adaptability.

Dr Gonzi then went down in EasyJet’s 15-year-long history as the first Prime Minister to board an EasyJet plane in his official capacity as he and other invitees were taken on a special flight over Malta on flight EZY319.

As the plane was towed back to the hangar, SR Technics employees, in their bright red work clothes, waited outside, witnessing the moment the Prime Minister disembarked from the aircraft they would be working on next.

Anthony Cassar, 46, came to SR Technics after spending 28 years working at the shipyards. Clearly moved, he said: “We were shipyards workers, now we’re working on planes. This is a new experience.”

Renè Camoin, an SR Technics engineer, is no newcomer to maintaining planes, having worked in aviation for at least 10 years. He had nothing but praise for the workers who came to the aviation maintenance and repair industry from the shipyards. “They’re skilled workers; they know what they’re doing. They’re different from those who are still at school and have a very rich engineering experience to bring to the table.”

SR Technics employs 124 people, most of whom are Maltese.

Mr Stewart praised the workmanship of the Maltese, saying they were “passionate” about their job.

“Through the partnership between EasyJet and the involved Maltese organisations, SR Technics will make a substantial contribution to EasyJet’s long-term growth. “The mutual aim of the partners is to set global standards in the industry in terms of operational quality and commercial terms,” Mr Stewart said.

EasyJet network development and planning director Cath Lynn said the Malta facility would see over 150 aircraft being maintained over the next 10 years. “We’re confident in the success of this venture and, as such, are committed to a long-term partnership with SR Technics and the island of Malta.”

Foreign Minister Tonio Borg and Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco were among those attending the re-delivery ceremony.