In preparation for Lufthansa Technik’s new facility in Portugal, the company opened a training center on Monday in Santa Maria da Feira, roughly 35 kilometers south of Porto, and welcomed the first 18 employees of Lufthansa Technik Portugal.

The training center is located in the ‘Perm’ industrial park around nine kilometers away from the site where Lufthansa Technik Portugal’s new facility is expected to become operational by the end of 2027. It consists of two buildings: one is now hosting introductory events and theoretical lessons. In the other, practical training units will begin in the coming weeks, supervised among others by qualified and highly experienced Lufthansa Technik employees from Hamburg. The training center, leased for three years, features several seminar rooms and modern office space with fully equipped workstations.

As one of the world’s leading providers of technical aircraft services with ambitious growth targets, Lufthansa Technik announced last December its plan to invest a triple-digit million-euro amount in a new facility in Portugal. Located in the ‘Lusopark’ industrial area of Santa Maria da Feira, the company will begin construction next year on a 54,000-square-meter production facility for the repair of engine parts and aircraft components, creating approximately 700 jobs.

High demand for skilled professionals

Since announcing the project, Lufthansa Technik Portugal has already recruited 25 colleagues, filling initial positions such as Human Resources Manager, Production Manager and Tool & Equipment Engineer. An additional 20 employees are expected to be hired before the end of this year. The company is actively seeking Technicians, Quality Engineer Auditors and further Human Resources Specialists. Interest in working for Lufthansa Technik Portugal is very high – on average, approximately 150 applications have been received for each position advertised so far.

To ensure this continues in the coming years, Lufthansa Technik Portugal aims to establish partnerships with nationwide educational institutions and is already collaborating with Cenfim (Centro de Formação Profissional da Indústria Metalúrgica e Metalomecânica). This national vocational training center specializes in the metal, metalworking, and electromechanical industries and supports the technical selection process for mechanics.

As Chairperson of the Board at Lufthansa Technik Portugal, Volker Magunna personally welcomed all new employees at the training center on Monday, together with Ricardo Arroja, CEO of the Portuguese trade and investment agency AICEP (Agência para o Investimento e Comércio Externo de Portugal), and Amadeu Albergaria, Mayor of Santa Maria da Feira.

“Today is a special day for Lufthansa Technik Portugal, one that will go down in the company’s history – and that even before construction of the actual production facility has begun,” said Volker Magunna on Monday in Santa Maria da Feira. “It is a great feeling to welcome our first 18 colleagues as well as our guests from politics and business at the newly opened training center. This milestone vividly demonstrates the pace and commitment with which we are advancing this major project. I am excited about everyone who wants to shape and build Lufthansa Technik Portugal together with us. This also applies to our partners at AICEP and the city of Santa Maria da Feira, who have welcomed us with open arms and have provided strong support from the very beginning through an intensive process.”