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Leading MRO services provider, SR Technics, has signed a contract with Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks Limited to expand its aircraft maintenance facility in Malta, following last year’s Memorandum of Understanding.

The agreement includes the construction of a modern multi-bay hangar facility for narrow- and wide-body aircraft at Malta International Airport. At 30,000 sqm, including workshop space, the new infrastructure will enable SR Technics to increase its capacity for heavy maintenance, C-checks and any cabin modifications or retrofits to up to six narrow-body aircraft at a time.

Construction will begin this year, with a scheduled completion date of November 2019 for the first four bays. Operations will initially focus on the Airbus A320 family and the Boeing 737NG. To handle demand while the new hangar is being built, SR Technics will incorporate a third bay as of November 2018 in a temporary hangar next to the existing facility.

Since the opening of the Malta operation in October 2010, the SR Technics Maltese employees - currently 260 in number - have serviced over 250 aircraft. With the support of the Malta government, SR Technics will hire and train approximately 350 new employees including B1 and B2 engineers, structure mechanics and technicians to join its highly skilled and motivated workforce. The Malta facility will continue to support both SR Technics’ strategic operations in Europe and the overall aerospace strategy of its shareholders.

The Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, welcomed SR Technics in Valletta on Monday (6th August). He was joined by Economy, Investment and Small Business Minister, Christian Cardona, and the Chief Executive Officer of Malta Enterprise - the agency responsible for promoting foreign investment and industrial development - Mario Galea.

Frank Walschot, Chief Executive Officer at SR Technics, opened the ceremony with an update about the recent achievements and plans for the facility. Present at the signing ceremony were as well Jianfeng (Jeff) Hu, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Jakob Straub, Head of Aircraft Services and Line Maintenance and Arthur Magri, General Manager for SR Technics Malta.

“Malta is ideally located to further grow our aircraft maintenance business in the region,” explained Frank Walschot. “The state-of-the-art hangar enables us to continue providing efficient and high-performance maintenance services based on safety, quality and reliability, and to deliver aircraft on schedule.”

Prime Minister Muscat commented: "With the conclusion of this agreement today, we are showing that we can take the aviation industry to the next level. The aviation industry is indeed an important one for our economy. But for it to flourish, the industry needed a lot of care and the right economic environment. Today's celebration is the collective effort of a hard-working country that attracts and takes care of its partners. In SR Technics we found the right partner and it is the mutual trust between partners that has led us to such a success story."

Christian Cardona, Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business of Malta added: “We are proud to see the level of trust that SR Technics has placed in our country. Their assessment of the current and future business expectations is evidence that global companies with a presence in Malta share our positive outlook for the Maltese economy. The nation has the resources, work ethic and right location that make it a strategic base for their enterprise.”

“Today’s signing symbolizes Malta's commitment to a long term vision for the aviation sector,” commented Mario Galea, Chief Executive Officer of Malta Enterprise. “The MRO industry is truly an important pillar of the Maltese economy offering careers and livelihoods to thousands of families and with SR Technics’ growth in Malta, we expect continued prominence that we are supporting locally based foreign companies while attracting to Malta the right kind of projects for the future.”

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 9th August 2018 | Issue #475