€20m INVESTMENT & OVER 250 JOBS

Ryanair today (21^st June) announced an agreement with Malta Enterprise and INDIS for a Hangar facility at Malta International Airport, which will receive its first Ryanair Group aircraft in October 2022. With over 2,500 engineers across Europe, Ryanair Engineering is responsible for all aircraft maintenance activities, ensuring that Ryanair, Malta Air, Lauda and Buzz aircraft carry their customers to their destinations safely and on time.

Today’s announcement marks the first phase of a €20m three bay heavy maintenance project in Malta, which will create over 250 highly skilled jobs, including licensed engineers, mechanics, and support staff, in addition to the 250 people already employed by Ryanair Group subsidiaries headquartered in Malta, including airlines Malta Air and Lauda Europe. Since its first flight to Malta in 2006, Ryanair has carried almost 19 million customers to/from Malta and is leading Malta’s post-Covid recovery with a record 62 routes this summer.

Prime Minister Dr. Robert Abela, speaking at the Auberge de Castille today, said:

“This investment is indeed another milestone in our thriving aviation history. Twenty million euro investment in new repairs and maintenance facilities in Malta will lead to 250 new careers over a few years.

By setting up a heavy maintenance and repairs operation in Malta, a significant pillar in the aviation industry, Ryanair will now turn its Maltese operations into a full-service hub. Adding Ryanair to the sector will continue to improve our already good reputation as a hub for aircraft maintenance and repairs.

I reiterate our commitment to ensure we have our educational institutions and specialized academies to prepare our workforce for the industry. To this effect, we plan to deliver our support towards technical upskilling programmes, led by the industry itself, to address the skills gap in the aviation sector. My vision is that this could be the precursor to a technical institute that will support the required human capital for this and other industries in the years to come.”

Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said:

“As the largest airline serving Malta, Ryanair is delighted to open this new maintenance centre. Ryanair creates opportunities for highly skilled engineering jobs, with our industry leading rosters and youngest fleet in Europe. This €20m investment plan further underlines Ryanair’s commitment to the highest standards of aircraft operations & maintenance, and also Ryanair’s commitment to Malta, where we offer a record 62 routes this summer and lead Malta’s post-Covid tourism recovery.”

Malta Air CEO David O’Brien said:

“Malta Air and its sister Ryanair Group companies in Malta have become major contributors to Malta’s development as an Aviation Centre of Excellence. We are pleased to welcome this new maintenance organisation to our growing team of aviation professionals employed here in Malta.”