Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, together with Investment, Industry and Investment Minister Austin Gatt yesterday visited the premises of Lufthansa Technik, which is investing in a new hangar that will be large enough to accommodate wide-body aircraft.

The investment is expected to create about 550 new employment opportunities over the next three to four years, 200 of which will be created by the end of the year. Lufthansa Technik Malta currently employs 215 full-time employees.

Construction work on the new hangar is at an advanced stage, and it is expected to be used for the first time in the last quarter of the year.

Addressing journalists after meeting employees at the existing Lufthansa Technik hangar, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the aviation maintenance industry was expected to continue growing.

“The PN government believes in the capabilities of the local workforce. We have started to see positive results as we aspire to make Malta a centre of excellence in six different areas, one of them being the manufacturing industry, by 2015.

“Some of the young people I have just met, have completed the theoretical part of their course at the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology, after which they will complete an 18-month practice period. They have a positive attitude and are looking forward to specialising abroad, in the Philippines and in Germany,” said Dr Gonzi.

The new hangar covers an area of 27,000 square metres with a 270-metre span, 90 metres depth and 34 metres height, including a number of back shops, which can accommodate two wide-bodied aircraft and two narrow-bodied aircraft simultaneously.