Above: a Lufthansa plane at a Technik facility

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Lufhthansa Technik, the maintenance subsidiary of German air carrier Lufthansa, has signed an agreement to build a new maintenance, repair and reconditioning facility in Puerto Rico.

Construction is slated to begin on the facility in the next three months, according to the agreement signed between the company and Puerto Rico’s Port Authority.

“This important partnership with Lufthansa Technik will create hundreds of highly skilled labour positions and will be a cornerstone for the development of the aviation industry in Puerto Rico,” Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said. “With its decision to locate these facilities on the island, Lufthansa Technik joins the growing number of international companies who are investing in Puerto Rico, in recognition of our favourable business climate and our geographical advantages.”

August Wilhelm Henningsen, CEO of Lufthansa Technik, said he was “very pleased” with the decision to establish the new plant in Puerto Rico, calling the island a “very important” part of the company’s long-term strategy.

As part of the agreement, the company will set up a new company, Lufthansa Technik Puerto Rico, which will be based at the Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla.

The company projects to employ about 400 people at the facility.

“This is very important news for Lufthansa Technik, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and JertBlue also,” said JetBlue CEO Dave Barger in a statement. “As the largest airline serving Puerto Rico, we are honoured to support and endorse the plans of Lufthansa Technik to build a maintenance base in Aguadilla and are excited to be one of the first airlines to be met there when it opens.”