Company Profile
The setting up by Lufthansa Technik AG of a joint venture with Air Malta plc in 2003 was very much in line with the expansion strategy of the Lufthansa Technik Group and its strategic vision.
Based at Malta International Airport, Lufthansa Technik Malta, as this venture is known, is backed by the Lufthansa Technik Group that has global network of 32 subsidiaries and affiliates and employs over 26,000 employees worldwide, with an annual turnover of over Eur5.5 billion. It boasts of over 1,800 contracted aircraft and more than 670 customers worldwide.
From the Initial Tests to a Joint Venture
The relationship between Lufthansa Technik and Air Malta plc had started even before the joint venture was formed. As far back as 2001, Lufthansa Technik had offered Air Malta plc the opportunity to carry out a number aircraft checks on its B737s in order to monitor its performance.
During this initial task, Lufthansa Technik set Air Malta plc three primary targets, namely;
- quality;
- turn around time; and
- competitive cost
It is well known that customers in this market are continuously seeking to reduce their maintenance, repair and overhaul costs without compromising safety, delivery and quality standards. Hence the market is extremely tough and competitive.
The initial challenge was successfully met by Air Malta plc following stringent audits by both Lufthansa’s Quality Department and the Civil Aviation Authorities. Apart from meeting the set objectives of time, cost and quality, two other important inputs were crucial - commitment and flexibility. To this day, they have remained cornerstones of the operation.
This joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and Air Malta plc was set up in June 2002 with operations commencing in January 2003. In 2003, Lufthansa Technik Malta started solely as a narrow body operation with one hangar accommodating one narrow body aircraft, carrying out ‘C’ checks on Airbus A320’s and Boeing 737.
In October 2006, the company increased its productivity by carrying out two aircraft ‘C’ checks in parallel to meet the growing demand. By December 2008, the Malta operation carried out over 350 Narrow Body ‘C’ Checks since start of operation. Whilst half of these checks were on Lufthansa aircraft, the rest were carried out for a growing and diversified portfolio of third party customers.
Lufthansa Technik Malta is in fact actively seeking to increase the number of third party customers through the reputation it is earning for quality, turnaround time, competitive pricing and flexibility as well as its commitment for delivery. Malta’s location also means that we could win anchor customers from the Middle East. Our objective is to remain cost competitive and to remain conscious of turnaround time.
The Current Business and LTM’s New Facility
Lufthansa Technik Malta currently prides itself as being an Aircraft Centre for Excellence in Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) for narrow bodied aircraft. As from December 2008, Lufthansa Technik Malta has extended its operation to wide bodied aircraft and is now the largest facility within its maintenance network in Europe.
Equipped to the latest state-of-the art technologies, Malta’s new facility can now accommodate up to two wide-bodied aircraft and three narrow-bodied aircraft simultaneously. This is topped up by a global logistics network and total support services. Lufthansa Technik Malta is now performing Base and Heavy Maintenance including painting on Airbus A330 and A340, in addition to Base Maintenance on Boeing 737 (CL & NG) and Airbus A320.
The narrow body hangar houses aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing B737. The second wide body hangar which will be housing another wide body aircraft such as the Airbus A330 and Airbus A340 is now completed. All three hangars will be fully operational concurrently by the end of September 2009.
The actual wide body hangar together with the support infrastructure which houses the main stores, workshops, administration and ancillary building has been completed in less than a year and a half. The two wide body hangars occupy 17,000 square metres of land.
This new project has been officially inaugurated in the first week of April 2009. This new operation sitting on a 61,000 square meters footprint on the perimeter of Malta International Airport is an investment of more than 60 million Euro and will bring value to the national economy and leads undoubtedly to job creation. Jobs at various levels include certifying staff, newly graduated engineers, financial professionals, licensed mechanics such as Cat ‘A’, unlicensed mechanics, workshop mechanics and MCAST graduates and apprentices working to obtain aircraft maintenance licenses and related qualifications.
Presently Lufthansa Technik Malta employs close to 500 employees and has 150 MCAST trainees undergoing theoretical training. 127 people have already completed training at MCAST, a number of which are already employed with Lufthansa Technik Malta whilst the rest are still undergoing on-the-job training under foreign supervisors on its shop floor and will be engaged upon successful completion of their course. MCAST has been instrumental in training young men and women specifically for this industry which just two years ago started, experience-wise.
Innovative ideas, high-tech competence and exceptional quality standards have made Lufthansa Technik Malta one of the leading service providers of technical support for commercial aircraft worldwide.