Croatia Airlines presented a unique International Program on Technical Staff Training and new contracts on foreign aircraft maintenance
Zagreb, November 3rd 2015
Today, the Technical Centre of Croatia Airlines presented a new international program on technical staff training, the only one of its kind in Europe, which was initiated in cooperation with Velika Gorica College. The company’s Management Board also presented new contracts on foreign aircraft maintenance, including the most demanding technical checks of Thomas Cook and TACA aircraft. Further development of the company’s technical centre, based on Croatian knowledge and internationally recognized expertise, will enable the company to realize a profit of around HRK 33.000.000 in this business sector for the year 2015.
A new international program on technical staff training at the Technical Educational Centre of Croatia Airlines is a project of great commercial and strategic potential. It has been approved and certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and it is expected to attract a large number of applicants from all over the world. The program is unique because students receive theoretical and practical training in one place, and the possibility of gaining an academic title once their education is completed.
Specifically, the program attendees can gain a B1 basic technical license for aircraft maintenance, as well as a C1 engineering licence for conducting major checks on aircraft. Apart from that, attendees can also receive a license for Airbus A320 aircraft maintenance. Therefore, throughout the training, students can combine theoretical and practical knowledge, which leads them to gain a Bachelor of Engineering degree.
The first group will consist of 12 attendees from Great Britain, Germany, Cyprus, Pakistan and the Middle East.
‘I can say it was hard work that turned us from students into teachers on the global market. By initiating this program, we have taken an even greater step towards entering an international market of highly specialized training in the airline industry and this has enabled an even greater export of Croatian knowledge. In other words, we now export knowledge, which we have continuously been investing in, and I believe we can become a leading company in this segment of business. I am especially proud of our expert staff, without whom all of this would be impossible,’ said CEO and President of Croatia Airlines’ Management Board, Krešimir Kučko.
Another novelty in the business operations conducted by the Technical Centre of Croatia Airlines are the new contracts with Thomas Cook and TACA regarding the technical maintenance of their aircraft. These contracts are particularly valuable because they were concluded based on an international competition, which is additional confirmation that Croatia Airlines is already successfully competing with other European and global companies in this segment of business. Four aircraft of Thomas Cook will undergo a D-check, the most extensive service check of an aircraft. It is worth mentioning that the first D-check at the Technical Centre of Croatia Airlines took place in 2013, also on a Thomas Cook aircraft. The complete check took 36 days, and the total value of works was around HRK 4.2 million.
This year, the Croatia Airlines’ Technical Centre will make around a HRK 33.000.000 profit
The commercial training of technical staff and new contracts on aircraft maintenance will additionally increase the profitability of the Croatia Airlines’ Technical Centre, which has significantly increased its business capacity since the opening of a new hangar in March of this year. This will enable the company to realize a profit of around HRK 33.000.000 in this sector of business operations in the year 2015. It is worth mentioning that the third hangar was constructed with Croatia Airlines own finances, i.e., an investment of HRK 15 million.