Swiss aircraft maintenance company SR Technics is holding off the construction of its new hangar until the aviation industry gets back on its feet.

A spokesman for the company, which has been operating in Malta since October, said the “challenging global aviation market conditions” had delayed the construction of the new facility, which was meant to be finished by 2012.

Asked whether there was a tentative date for the hangar to be built, SRT did not commit, saying it was “proceeding with the planning in close coordination with the Maltese government and (its) partners”.

Meanwhile, the company, which employs 146 employees, is “fully concentrating” on expanding and developing its customer base in Malta “to ensure the new facility is successful”.

Speaking in Parliament, Finance, Economy and Investment Minister Tonio Fenech confirmed SRT had informed Malta Enterprise that, although they had the required permits in hand, the building of the new hangar would start once the international aviation market started to recover. Talks between the two sides are continuing.

Last year, the Malta operation won a massive contract with leading European low cost carrier EasyJet for the maintenance of about 150 jets over 10 years.

On October 21, an Airbus 319 christened Pride of Malta became the first plane to roll out of the Maltese maintenance facility. To date, maintenance work on six EasyJet aircraft has been done and the company now aims to obtain approval to be able to handle other types of aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and training has already started.

The company is operating from a hangar at Safi Aviation Park belonging to Malta Industrial Parks. It was reported in March last year the new hangar would be built near the airport’s Gate Four.