Driven by the rapid growth of the aeronautical engineering and maintenance sector in Hong Kong, demand for qualified professionals specialising in aircraft maintenance is outstripping supply.
Thomas Ng, executive general manager for personnel at Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (Haeco), says more international and domestic airlines have been outsourcing servicing to local aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul organisations, mainly for better quality services and faster turn-around time.
'The greatest challenge has been to attract suitably qualified professionals to manage employees in a way that maintains high-quality services for customers, while enhancing production efficiency,' he says.
Under a franchise agreement with the Airport Authority, Haeco is a full service provider which offers comprehensive maintenance packages at Hong Kong International Airport.
The company's services include line maintenance, which refers to transit checks for aircraft using the airport; base maintenance which deals with extensive scheduled maintenance checks; modifications; and aircraft overhaul.
Haeco operates maintenance facilities at Chek Lap Kok, and component and avionics overhaul facilities in Tseung Kwan O. Ng says the company's maintenance service divisions consist of about 3,000 employees.
