Brisbane Airport in Australia is to open an A$8m (US$5.4m) facility for the plane maintenance company GE Aviation Systems Australia (GEASA).
The workshop is around double the size of its previous location. It will be officially opened in September, employing more than 80 people. Brisbane Airport has 2,000 jobs going across the precinct and will hold the BNE Careers Expo on September 10. This will enable potential workers to meet directly with companies and training providers. The center is also expected to provide extra skills training and deliver Queensland business as it maintains aircraft systems from across the globe.
GEASA maintains propellers, flight management systems, instruments and aircraft power systems. It works on passenger aircraft including the Boeing 737 and 787, Q400 and F50 regional aircraft. It also repairs propellers for the RAAF’s fleet of C-130J Super Hercules and C-27J Spartan Military Transport Aircraft.
Gert-Jan de Graaff, CEO of Brisbane Airport, said, “GE Aviation has been a partner of Brisbane Airport for the past 25 and it was time for a new facility. This workshop is important for the future of the airport. We don’t only need pilots, airline staff and baggage handlers, but we need highly skilled engineers too to grow this airport for the future.”
Sam Maresh, county leader at GE Australia, said, “It is truly a global facility. It’s a skills factory and we hope one day the students of Aviation High will find a place in the aviation workforce, in these facilities and others throughout the airport. This is an investment in skills capability in the sector and it’s an investment in Queensland and Australia.”
Annastacia Palaszczuk, the premier of Queensland, said, “I welcome the boost the facility will provide to the local economy, and the contribution of Brisbane Airport to Queensland. As we know the airport’s growing here, more flights are coming back as we go into our post-pandemic phase and we want to make sure we set this state up for the future, and our state has an absolutely bright future.”
Martin Ryan, executive general manager, commercial, Brisbane Airport Corporation, said “The demand here for commercial development at Brisbane Airport is unbelievable. It’s the biggest we’ve ever seen. We’ve got more developments underway than we’ve ever had, over 12 developments under construction at the moment. Another 100 hectares will be available over the next 10 years. Brisbane Airport is an amazingly connected place to The Port of Brisbane, the city and freeways north and south. And of course, there’s a runway out the back which allows people to import and export goods in and out of Brisbane and Queensland.”