Malta will "favourably consider" any investment proposal by Lufthansa Technik to continue expanding its operations on the island, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said today.

Visiting the three aircraft maintenance hangars of Lufthansa Technik, Dr Gonzi described the German investment as a "success story" which he oversaw from its inception in 2003.

He said the company now employs almost 600 people, most of whom were employed in the past three years after the Government assisted an expansion project with an investment of €17 million.

Dr Gonzi said he was also proud that the company was mostly employing students who were trained at Mcast and that further training is now happening in Malta on site instead of abroad.

The Prime Minister said he was optimistic about the future even though the challenges faced over the last years could worsen over the next few years.

The aircraft maintenance company, which originally took care of Air Malta and Lufthansa planes only, now has eight different major clients.