Growth in the aviation sector in Malta in the past few years has attracted a number of foreign aircraft operators.

Recent changes in Malta’s legislation and the attractiveworking climate offered are the main incentives that make Malta an ideal place to do aviation business.

Air-crew training is a niche market being developed by a local aviation consultancy firm Bizav Services, together with its Swiss partner Privatair SA of Geneva.

The training involves a number of technical subjects in addition to survival training and service training for air crew.

The successful completion of a full cabin crew training course conducted entirely in Malta for a non-Maltese airline Ecair marks a turning point in local aviation services. It was a first for Malta when 10 foreigners graduated after an intense five-week initial cabin crew training course conducted locally.

Bizav director Adrian Spiteri said Malta’s potential to host and deliver quality aviation training appears promising. “We are seeing considerable interest in Malta as a centre for a number of aviation activities, with airline crew training potentially making a significant contribution to Malta’s success in this sector.”

Victor Grove, Privatair SA’s senior vice-president, Selection, Training and Customer Service, said: “We are very interested in Malta and with the island’s potential to offer excellence in the specialised field of air crew training.

Speaking for Bizav, Captain Philip Apap Bologna said the sustained drive by Transport Malta and especially the Civil Aviation Directorate to build the necessary infrastructure to support a strong aviation cluster is starting to show positive results.

Capt. Apap Bologna welcomed Malta Enterprise’s role in supporting various initiatives over the years and praised Air Malta’s crew training management, Malta International Airport’s fire section and the Corinthia Hotel group for their contribution towards developing Malta’s aviation potential in the region.