Luxair, lux-Airport Lay Foundation Stone of New Aircraft Maintenance Hangar

On Thursday 14 July 2022, Luxair and lux-Airport held a foundation stone laying ceremony for the new Luxair Aircraft Maintenance Hangar in Sandweiler.

The current Luxair Maintenance Hangar was built in 1952 and is today a protected historical monument in Luxembourg. In order to accommodate new and improved aircraft models, lux-Airport and its contracted companies are building a new state-of-the-art maintenance hangar for Luxembourg’s flag carrier airline, Luxair. This new building will host several maintenance workshops, spare part storage areas, nine ground hatches to supply aircraft with power and extract paraffin vapours, as well as integrated administrative offices. The new maintenance hangar is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.

The foundation stone laying ceremony took place on Thursday in the presence of the Mayor of Sandweiler, Simone Massard-Stitz, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mobility and Public Works, François Bausch, the CEO of lux-Airport, Alexander Flassak, and the CEO of Luxair, Gilles Feith, as well as the teams involved in the new maintenance hangar project, members of the press and other guests.

In her welcome address, Simone Massard-Stitz expressed her pride in being the mayor of a municipality which has such strong links to aviation. She emphasised that the sector has a significant impact on the national economy and praised the close relations that have existed between the municipality of Sandweiler and lux-Airport, the operating company of Luxembourg Airport, and the developers of this project for many years. She hoped for an equally good collaboration in the future and wished the project success.

In his opening speech, François Bausch, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mobility and Public Works, began by congratulating all those involved in this project, which he deemed important because aviation “remains an important part of our mobility and an important part of our economy”. He added that he was convinced that this would remain an important sector in the future, although it must be adapted, particularly in the context of the climate crisis. Minister Bausch was confident that new technologies would reduce CO2 emissions, but also noise pollution. He went on to thank Luxair’s staff for their commitment and efforts in getting the company through the COVID-19 crisis. He added that the Luxembourg Government had also played a role in supporting the company in these challenging times and would continue to support the aviation sector in the future.

Alexander Flassak, CEO of lux-Airport, also thanked everyone involved for their hard work in creating a modern and effective maintenance hangar. He stated: “The construction of the new Luxair Maintenance Hangar is a further step in the continuous modernisation of the airport infrastructure and contributes to ensuring that efficient aircraft maintenance will continue to be possible in Luxembourg in the coming decades”.

“This is a very important day”, stated Gilles Feith, CEO of Luxair. “Of course, Luxair is still in an immensely difficult financial situation”. Nevertheless, he was pleased to be able to welcome everyone present at this event and particularly those who are involved in the project, “because today, we are investing in the future of Luxair”. He continued: “For Luxair and lux-Airport, this day constitutes a milestone in our common history. This day marks the effective launch of this major project, the new aircraft maintenance hangar. [...] This new hangar should soon welcome new aeroplanes; this beautiful company will start to fly in new spheres. This building will also breathe new life into the daily work of our colleagues”. Mr Feith added: “The launch of this project, despite the complexity of the situation which the entire aviation sector must face, is a first step in a long journey towards the future”. He thanked all the stakeholders involved in this ongoing project, namely the state, lux-Airport, Cargolux, the architects and all the workers at the Félix Giorgetti construction and development company for their continued support. “We need you all so that we can open this connectivity, this dream, these holidays – well deserved for some – to the whole population of the Greater Region”.

The speeches were followed by the signature of a letter, which was then placed in a time capsule, and the laying of the foundation stone of Luxair's new maintenance hangar. 

The event concluded with a buffet.