The partnership between Romania’s airspace company Romaero SA and Budapest-based Aeroplex Central Europe Ltd. primarily means technology, but also stable jobs in Romania, Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Stefan-Radu Oprea told AGERPRES on Thursday, after attending the launch of the two companies’ cooperation project, together with his Hungarian counterpart Marton Nagy.

„Concretely this partnership means that we will get technology transfers, it means that we will learn to repair and maintain Airbus aircraft, given that so far we have been specializing in Boeing. It means that we will receive airplane repair orders from our partners and from our Aeroplex partners. We have a good cooperation with them, which is already going. This partnership also means that we will have stable jobs in Romania and that we will be able to increase salaries at Romaero to become even more competitive,” Oprea said.

According to the minister, Romaero has three main lines of activity: maintenance and repair of civil aircraft; parts and spare parts for the industry; military aircraft maintenance and repair. „Here, in Romania, we have certain technical capacities that are unique in Europe, we have contracts, we have workload, and specialized workforce as well,” the Economy minister said.

In the speech given at the inauguration of the project, Minister Oprea declared that he has „always believed in Romaero, in this Romanian brand, which can once again become a company dedicated to aviation”. „When I took over at the Ministry, Romaero was not in the best shape, and it wasn’t the only aviation company with the Romanian state as a shareholder that was rather run-down, but this fired our ambition to make airplanes,” the minister added.

Oprea also showed that Romaero SA and Aeroplex Central Europe Ltd. should not be in competition, as they actually complement each other in this part of Europe.

„We complement each other and together, in this part of Europe, we can bring much more business and make much more profit. Hopefully, this sets an example for all of Europe. I think we will soon be mentioned among the examples of best practice. Both Tarom and Wizz have planes to repair, and if we offer good services, they won’t go elsewhere,” said Radu-Stefan Oprea.

Attending the event together with officials of the Romanian and the Hungarian governments were representatives of the two companies, as well as leaders from the aeronautical industry and personalities from the aviation sector.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, the cooperation agreement provides for the development of a regional maintenance hub, which will become a mainstay for aircraft maintenance and repair, attracting customers from the entire Central and Eastern Europe.

The relaunch and expansion of operations is expected to also generate new employment opportunities, both for aeronautical maintenance experts and for auxiliary personnel. In addition, the partnership between Romaero and Aeroplex Central Europe will bring advanced technologies and specialized knowledge to Romania, increasing the competitiveness of the local industry.

In the long term, the collaboration could include the production of aviation parts and components, thus stimulating investments and economic growth, the cited source said.

In a different thread, Minister Oprea also stated that a technology transfer memorandum was signed on Thursday with a Polish company, that is expected to boost efficiency in the repair of C-130 Hercules planes.

AGERPRES