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Dutch aviation company relocating to Malta
Article published on 11 May 2012
Dutch company Aviation Cosmetics is set to relocate to Malta, in a €22 million investment which will see around 80 people employed.
The company is currently based in Eindhoven Airport, and its work involves painting and repainting aircraft exteriors, as well as carrying out internal refurbishing.
It is now set to move to the Malta Aviation Park, which was formally inaugurated just hours after the relocation was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech and the company’s managing director Thomas Jansen.
Aviation Cosmetics should be building two hangars over 12,000 square metres of space, which would be able to simultaneously accommodate a Boeing 747 and a Boeing 737 or three of the latter.
When the company will actually set up shop here remains to be determined, however.
No questions by the press were allowed during the announcement, although when pressed for comment, a government spokesman subsequently noted that the time would only be known when negotiations are finalised.
This was set to happen “in a few weeks”, he added. In reply to another question, he stressed that Maltese workers would make up the bulk of the company’s workforce.
Mr Jansen noted that he was happy to conclude an agreement to relocate the business to Malta, a country he is familiar with as a regular visitor.
He said that Aviation Cosmetics’ work would prove to be complementary to that of other companies in the sector, pointing out that the presence of different companies offering different services may persuade customers of one to use another.
Dr Gonzi said that the Dutch company’s decision to relocate testified to the success of Malta’s decision to set up an aviation services cluster, pointing – as he typically does when announcing investments – that such investment was not a mere coincidence.
He noted that the company was not only attracted to Malta for financial reasons, but also because the country offered an ideal space for it to grow, as well as skilled employees through MCAST.
Mr Fenech observed that the planned relocation was in line with Malta’s strategy to diversify its economy and avoid overdependence on a single sector, stating that this policy was proving to be successful.
Both ministers also took the occasion to pay tribute to outgoing Malta Enterprise chairman Alan Camilleri, who was present to sign the agreement with the company. The agreement is his last official act at ME, following his resignation for personal reasons.
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