Member Article

Aviation recruiter Qualitair opens office in Malta

Qualitair, the international aviation recruiter, is opening a new office in Malta International Airport.

Qualitair says its new base aims to take advantage of the growth of Malta as a transport hub. Qualitair Malta will be recruiting technicians to the aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul sector and is set to expand into supplying airlines with crew and the airport with ground staff.

Ruth Sawers, who is heading up Qualitair Malta, said: “The aviation sector is absolutely flying at the moment as Malta transforms itself into a transit hub as well as a holiday destination. There are now almost 40 airlines registered – not to mention the training schools for cabin crew, for maintenance engineers, and for pilots. Air Malta’s restructuring has been a success – it’s set to add new routes to Asia and North America and looks to be growing its fleet. The Maltese aviation cluster has seen extensive government investment and that is really paying off. Malta might be known for its maritime pedigree but its aviation ecosystem is where the action is. As an aviation recruiter, we need to be a part of that. Our strategy is to be present in key aviation hubs around Europe and with the growth of the cluster, it’s become imperative we open a base on the ground here. While we have been supplying workers to the aircraft maintenance sector here since 2009, we’ve never had the benefit of a local presence. By making this commitment to the Maltese aviation community, we hope to demonstrate that we see Malta as one of the key up and coming aviation hubs in Europe.”

Last year, it was announced that Malta’s sole airport will be expanded. By April 2019, more than 1,400 people were employed in the aviation industry in Malta - an increase of more than 5% over the previous 12 months. That was before the announcement that British aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman was investing €1m to establish a local base on Malta, growing the cluster further. Ryanair announced plans to launch a new Malta-based subsidiary airline, Malta Air, in June. The new carrier currently has six B737s based in Malta but there are plans to increase the size of the fleet to 10 aircraft within the next three years, with the creation of over 350 news jobs. In addition to transferring six of its fleet to the new airline, Ryanair is re-registering another 50 aircraft from France, Italy and Germany onto the Malta AOC, raising the prospect of using the island as a maintenance hub. But growth in the sector is already leading to a skills gap.

Paul Conway, managing director at Qualitair said: “The local skills shortage presents an enormous challenge for companies in the industry. In the long run, our intention is to invest in the next generation of aviation professionals by working with the local college, Malta College of Arts Science and Technology, to help graduates gain real-world experience around our client network off Malta. Once they have it, we will then guide these graduates back to Malta and into their first aviation job. But while we have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MCAST to formalise our partnership, you can’t produce qualified people overnight. In the short term we are going to need to facilitate the immigration of skilled professionals to Malta from elsewhere in the EU. Fortunately, our experience over the past ten years suggests aviation professionals across our international network find working in Malta very appealing. The facilities and working conditions offered here - not to mention the climate - make working here an attractive proposition. So we are launching Qualitair Malta with plans to bridge the talent gap in both the short and medium terms. That should help future proof the cluster’s growth.”

Qualitair specialises in the provision of staff for the line maintenance for aircraft types - ranging from small regional turboprops to A380s; base maintenance, involving mechanics, sheet metal workers, composite engineers, and certifying engineers; and the provision of candidates with a background in design, technical support, CAMO and program management; as well as aircraft preppers, painters and the component and workshop roles. It was founded in 1969 and became part of Randstad, the world’s largest provider of HR and staffing services, in 2007. Qualitair currently operates at London Gatwick as well as offices in Amsterdam Schiphol and Cambridge.

Paul Conway said: “We have been recruiting on behalf of aviation companies across Europe for 50 years. While aviation as an industry exists at the leading edge of technology, it also an industry reliant on the quality of the people within it, which is Qualitair’s field of expertise. With our new office, local aviation businesses are going to get better service, more cost-effective labour, and the added reassurance of being associated with the world’s biggest recruiter. We want to combine our local expertise with the latest IT to streamline the management of our clients’ labour forces. The sector needs support and with Qualitair Malta, we are ideally placed to deliver it.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Raoul Duke .